Take a Chance on a Happy Ending
by TheBadIdeaBears
Summary: When Chris' boyfriend breaks up with him out of the blue, he's understandably crushed, but when he meets Phichit, he starts to realise how a real love story might go.
1. Last Thing On My Mind

**Hey all, it's Pandora! Holly asked me for a meet-cute story between Chris and Phichit and this is the first chapter. I really hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

The coffee shop – a small and out of the way place, called The Coffee Cube, on a small and out of the way road in the city centre – is Chris' favourite. Mostly it's the atmosphere; there's always pleasant music playing, the staff are super friendly and because of where it is there are rarely screaming children filling the place. On top of all that, they always have good cake and make the best mochas Chris has ever had: the ratio of cocoa to coffee is damn near perfect and he has wondered if someone there sold their soul to a demon to get it so good so consistently. Add in some good company and Chris is always happy there – though he hasn't been in a little while.

When Alex suggested meeting here, Chris was obviously delighted, and woke up with the biggest grin on his face this morning. He seemed to float through his day, looking forward to going to his favourite place with his favourite person of the last eight months. Now though, Chris can barely remember that good mood.

He blinks, frowning at Alex across the little table – it's his favourite table as well, off in a secluded corner of the café. "You're breaking up with me?"

Alex gives him a sad half smile. "I'm sorry," he says, caramel eyes soft and sincere. "I just... It's been fun but I don't really see this going anywhere, you know?"

Chris' insides crumble. He _doesn't_ know: in his mind, he could see things continuing for months more, years even. To him, Alex could easily have become endgame, and yes, maybe it was a little premature to be thinking of that after only eight months, but Chris has never been one to do things by halves. When he enters into things, he does so with his whole heart. Maybe that's why he feels like his whole heart is being crushed now. Somehow, he nods – there's no point trying to argue with Alex at this point.

"Don't get me wrong," adds Alex. "I think you're great and we've had a good time together, but it's not really a long-term situation, is it?"

Chris doesn't agree – why should the two negate one another? Or is he being crazy?

"Look, I don't want to make this harder than it needs to be," says Alex, "so I won't stay and drag this out." He pushes back his chair and Chris gazes up at him, vision swimming a little and making it hard to focus. "I hope we can be friends..."

Chris says nothing, still rendered mute with surprise, and with one last half smile and a little awkward wave, Alex leaves. The sounds of the coffee shop continue around Chris, but they seem far away, like he's underwater. Tears start slowly, building up in the corners of Chris' eyes and spreading as he blinks. He bites his lip, trying to hold back a sob and managing only to reduce it to a gasp and a sniffle. His head lowers as he starts to cry in earnest, one hand covering his mouth to try and keep himself quiet and not disturb anyone.

More than anything else, he doesn't understand. Everything seemed to be going well – and from everything Alex just said he agreed – so why did it end like this? Even if there were problems, and from the sound of it Alex was thinking of some, Chris would have thought they would be able to talk things through together. Certainly Chris himself would have felt that he could speak to Alex if he had felt any doubts about the relationship, in the the hope that they could work things out instead of calling it all off at the first sign of a struggle. Unfortunately Alex didn't seem to share that view and now it's too late. All he's left with is half his mocha and the empty cup from Alex's iced latte. To add insult to injury, Chris knows he'll have to pay for Alex's drink, and that knowledge brings a thundercloud into his heart. He presses his lips together, swallowing his sadness for as long as he can. If he can just get through paying without crying more and go home, then –

His thoughts are interrupted when he sees a plate put down on the table in front of him – holding a slice of cake he definitely didn't ask for. Looking up, Chris finds himself face to face with a short young man with neat black hair and wide, dark eyes, wearing an apron. He has the barest hint of a smile and a sweet face; in any other circumstance Chris would probably be struck by how cute he is, but he needs to correct the guy's mistake.

"Uhh..." Chris clears his throat. "Sorry, I didn't order any cake."

The barista's smile widens just a little. "It's on the house," he says. "You seemed like you could use some good news."

Chris looks down, blinking back tears. "Thanks," he says softly. He wonders if the guy might be about to stick around – he's not feeling up to a conversation right now – but mercifully he moves away, going to clean another table nearby.

For a while, all Chris does is stare at the cake in front of him. He feels sick with the effort not to bawl in public and his hands are shaking; he doesn't think he can eat it but he doesn't want it to go to waste – especially when he was given it so kindly. Despite himself, he picks up the fork and takes a small bite of the cake. It's delicious: rich and sweet and filled with the best chocolate ganache he's ever had. The cake has a faint salted caramel flavour to it that plays over Chris' tongue. To his own surprise, he finishes the cake quite quickly, and feels a little better afterwards. When he gets up to go pay, he fully intends to thank the barista once again, but it seems he's gone on his break as Chris can't see him anywhere – all Chris can do is pay for his mocha and Alex's iced latte. He's never understood the whole 'cold coffee' thing; it was a running joke between the two of them where Chris would say he couldn't trust him because he liked iced coffee... Well, maybe he should have been a bit more serious about that. He offers to pay for the cake too but the guy at the register – the assistant manager, a tall man with a goatee called Emil – waves at him with a little smile.

"I'm under strict instructions not to let you do that," he says. Chris opens his mouth to object, but quickly decides to let it go – of all the things that have happened to him today, the cake is probably the best one.

"Can you let him know I'm really grateful?" asks Chris. "The guy who gave it to me?"

Emil agrees and Chris heads home. As he opens his front door, Galadriel scampers up to meet him, fluffy white tail pointing straight up. She mews loudly, gazing up at him with wide green eyes.

"Hey princess," he coos, scratching her behind the ears. Her meows turn to purrs and he can't help but smile at her. "At least you're pleased to see me."

She rubs her head against his leg before wandering off – probably in search of somewhere sunny to nap or some of Chris' black clothes to groom herself on and shed all over. Once he's taken off his shoes and hung up his jacket, Chris flops onto the sofa, letting the events of the day catch up to him. The cake was a pleasant part of the day and he's more than grateful to the barista who gave it to him, but the sting of the break up still hurts. He sighs heavily, feeling tears prickle afresh at his eyes, and lets them squeeze out, giving himself over to quietly sobbing.


	2. One For Sorrow

**Hi all - chapter two comes with some mopey Chris for you. I promise things are about to look up though!**

* * *

The next week seems to both drag and fly by. Chris goes to work and fortunately is able to distract himself with boring data entry and even more boring conversation with people from other departments he encounters when he's queuing for the photocopier. Unfortunately the only thing he can distract himself with at home is Galadriel, and true to her name she's often standoffish, wanting time to herself and leaving him to his own devices. Said own devices seem to presently be lying on the sofa staring at the TV but not taking in anything that's happening on the screen. He can't stand 'The Barefoot Contessa' normally but he watches endless episodes, the sound and visuals washing over him until the clock displays a more sensible (in other words a not too early) time to go to bed. Sleep never comes easily – he tosses and turns, the bed feeling too big with him alone, and when he does sleep he wakes frequently with Alex's face in his mind.

Eventually he gets a call from Viktor, which turns into a long conversation with Viktor, which turns into Viktor inviting himself over the following evening. Despite knowing that Viktor is coming over, Chris doesn't have the wherewithal to clean up, so when Viktor arrives and looks around with a concerned expression, he's not surprised.

"Chris..." Viktor says reproachfully. "Have you even been washing your dishes?"

Chris shrugs and Viktor shakes his head, putting down the shopping bag he brought. Later, when Viktor has helped him clean the whole flat and made him dinner, Chris starts to feel more human again, especially with the wine Viktor brought too. Viktor is understanding and lets Chris talk to him about the whole thing; only now does Chris realise that this is exactly what he needed and how stupid it was not to call Viktor right away.

"He wasn't good enough for you," says Viktor, putting down his glass and leaning back in his seat. "This just proves it."

Chris opens his mouth to say something but closes it again. There's an ache in his tummy, a heaviness that hates hearing Viktor criticise Alex like this, that makes him feel like a traitor for listening to Viktor's words. Lost for what to say, he takes a sip of his wine.

"I mean," says Viktor, "from what you said he still wouldn't say he loved you."

Chris frowns. Viktor has a point there. Even though he himself didn't bring out the L-word until six months into the relationship, and even though he insisted that he didn't need Alex to say it back until he was ready, it still stung a little not to hear it returned. When Alex invited him to The Coffee Cube, Chris had been rather hoping it might finally be the day... Obviously that didn't pan out though.

"I guess you're not wrong," he admits with a sigh. "Did you have to bring it up though?"

Viktor looks down, flushing a little. "Sorry."

Chris sips his wine some more, still frowning at the table in front of him.

"Look, I just want the best for you," says Viktor. "You have so much love to give and you deserve someone who you can give that love to."

"You think?"

"Of course."

Chris pouts thoughtfully. Is he ready to move on?

"Anyway, you need to get out more," insists Viktor. "We're having a party next weekend and you're coming."

"A party?" asks Chris. "What for?"

"It's Makkachin's half birthday," says Viktor. "Also the beginning of summer – it'll be nice to get everyone together."

Chris nods. "Sounds nice." He knows his voice lacks the enthusiasm he'd usually feel at the mention of a party but he's not sure he really wants to go.

"Sure does," says Viktor. "Even nicer because you're coming."

 _Oh god._ "Am I?"

"You are."

Chris pauses, finger and thumb around the stem of his wine glass.

"There's no point arguing with you is there?"

"None at all."

Chris rolls his eyes. "Fine then."

* * *

Phichit puts down his spoon, letting out a groan of satisfaction and grinning at Yuuri.

"Dessert for dinner is the best idea anyone has ever had," he declares. "I would raise my arms for effect but I'm too lazy and full of sundae."

"Speak for yourself," says Yuuri. "This is going straight to my ass."

Phichit laughs. "And I doubt Viktor will complain."

A little blush dusts Yuuri's cheeks and he coughs, wiping his lips with a paper napkin.

"I'm not wrong," says Phichit with a wicked grin.

"No I suppose not," admits Yuuri, putting down his napkin. He looks up, catching Phichit's eye, and the pair of them dissolve into irresistible giggles.

"You're so lucky," says Phichit, picking up his phone and trying to artfully arrange the empty bowl and sundae glass on the table to take a picture for Instagram.

"What do you mean?" asks Yuuri.

Phichit pushes the bowl and glass closer together, peering at the composition of them on his phone screen. "With Viktor," he explains. "He loves you so much."

Yuuri can't keep a tender smile from his face; Phichit can see it in the background of his photograph and it's the purest kind of smile he sees from Yuuri.

"He's sweet," says Yuuri fondly, leaning his head on one hand; it's not the depths of Yuuri's feelings by any stretch but Yuuri has always been a master at understating things.

"Stay right there," instructs Phichit, pushing the bowl and glass apart again so they sit either side of Yuuri and snapping a picture before Yuuri can protest. Checking the picture on his phone, he nods to himself. "I am truly an artist."

"You could find someone too," says Yuuri as Phichit starts going through filters.

"Maybe," shrugs Phichit, trying for nonchalance. He can feel his heart picking up the pace a little at the mention of dating and he knows Yuuri can almost certainly tell.

"Have you been out with anyone lately?" Yuuri asks.

"Not really," replies Phichit. "Everyone I talk to online is just so... boring, you know? And sometimes I get into a decent conversation with someone and then suddenly they send a dick pic and everything gets ruined."

Yuuri grimaces. "That really sucks."

"Yeah a bit," agrees Phichit.

"I'm sure you'll find someone eventually though," says Yuuri. "I hate the idea of you being lonely."

"I'm not lonely," laughs Phichit, finally looking up. "I have the hamsters."

"I think that's the saddest thing I ever heard," says Yuuri.

"Whatever," says Phichit with a wave of his hand. "Que sera sera and all that jazz. What time is everyone getting to yours on Saturday?"

* * *

Part of Chris still doesn't want to go to Viktor and Yuuri's. Yes, he's feeling more normal now – he's managed to stop spending all his time moping and is getting back to normal habits like showering every morning and actually keeping up with his chores; he's gone through a brief angry spell and now seems to have hit a point where he's perpetually bummed if he's not actively engaged doing anything else. But despite the fact that he knows he'll probably have a good time, part of him still hesitates. What if he just depresses everyone? Even he can tell this isn't normal for him, to doubt himself so, but he can't help it. After staring at himself in the hallway mirror for an age, he sighs.

"I'll go for a bit," he tells himself. "No alcohol so I can leave whenever."

With one last nod to his reflection, Chris leaves. The drive to Viktor and Yuuri's is uneventful and when he gets there everyone seems pleased to see him. He greets a few people – Viktor's teenage cousin Yuri and his friend Otabek in the corner, Yuuri's friend Minako and his sister Mari already drinking at the dining table – before finally finding Viktor and Yuuri in the kitchen.

"Chris!" Yuuri says, going in for a hug while Chris hands a bottle of wine he brought to Viktor. "I'm so glad you came!"

"Glad to be here," says Chris; he finds he does mean it – right now at least. It's nice to be around Viktor and Yuuri and people he likes to see. Still... "I might have to go in an hour or two."

Yuuri's face falls but Viktor grins, pressing a glass into Chris' hand. "Well drink this," he says. "We'll enjoy your company while you're here."

"Is there alcohol in this?" Chris asks.

"None at all," says Viktor quickly. Yuuri looks at him, expression unreadable, but then Viktor adds, "Anyway, how are things?"

Chris shrugs, taking a sip of the drink and finding that it tastes sweet and fruity. "Not awful I guess," he reasons. "Are you sure there's no alcohol in this?"

"Absolutely," smirks Viktor.

"Yuuri!"

They all turn at the excited voice behind them and Chris feels his eyes go wide as he recognises the smiling young man in the kitchen doorway. Last time he saw him he was giving Chris a slice of cake and a sympathetic smile; though the grin currently on his face is different, he still exudes a cheerful, calming aura. It's like a beam of sunshine has just walked into the room and everyone else seems to feel the same way.

"Phichit!" grins Yuuri. "The buses finally stopped sucking?"

Phichit rolls his eyes. "Eventually." Depositing two rather over-large buckets of popcorn on the counter, he pulls Yuuri into a tight hug, throwing a smile at Viktor over Yuuri's shoulder. When his eyes slide over to Chris' face, his eyebrows rise up behind his fringe. "Hi," he says, tone as easy as with everyone else, as he and Yuuri separate.

Viktor puts a hand on Chris' shoulder. "Phichit, Chris, Chris Phichit."

"Hey," says Chris, holding out one hand and shakes Phichit's.

"Yuuri," says Viktor, "we should go see if anyone in the living room wants drinks."

He and Yuuri go, leaving Chris standing next to Phichit in the corner of the kitchen. After a short moment of silence, Chris looks down at Phichit to see those dark eyes, framed with darker lashes, looking right back at him. He clears his throat.

"Small world," he comments, getting another little smile from Phichit.

"Seems so," replies Phichit. "How do you know Viktor and Yuuri?"

"Viktor's a really old friend," says Chris. "We were at school together. How about you?"

"I know Yuuri from university," says Phichit.

"How come I've never met you before?" asks Chris. If they've both known Viktor and Yuuri for so long he'd have thought they'd have met by now.

Phichit shrugs. "I've always worked weird hours – before the café I worked in a bar and I've rarely been able to make it to these things."

The mention of The Coffee Cube makes Chris' stomach do a weird flip flop. "Thank you," he says. "For the cake I mean."

"You're welcome," says Phichit. "I couldn't do much but I wanted to help somehow."

Chris feels a twinge in his chest. He's not sure he's ever met someone so openly sweet before. Leaning against the counter, he takes another mouthful of the drink Viktor gave him.

"Is the punch good?" asks Phichit.

"Hmm?"

"Yuuri said Viktor was making punch," says Phichit. "I assumed that was it."

He nods to the glass in Chris' hand and Chris half-laughs.

"That rat bastard," he mutters. When Phichit looks quizzical he explains, "I drove here. Viktor thinks I should get out more so I guess this is his way of making me stay longer."

"You don't sound too unhappy about that," says Phichit with another sly smile.

 _Not anymore_ , Chris thinks to himself. Aloud, he says, "Do you want a drink?"

* * *

The two of them pass the rest of the evening together, eventually vacating the kitchen in favour of a comfortable corner of the living room. Chris spends most of the night with a wide grin on his face, wider than any grin he's had there for a while. As they chat, he learns that Phichit is as sweet as he first thought – possibly sweeter in fact. He keeps hamsters, each one has a different adorable name and he has an Instagram account dedicated to them called The Ham Gang. They learn they both like ice skating, terrible films and cheesecake. After he finishes that first glass of punch and quietly berates Viktor, Chris switches to soft drinks and carries on his conversation with Phichit, very aware of the little smile Viktor gives him as he goes back to the corner. Phichit also, as it turns out, is a big fan of selfies and the grin that comes to his face when Chris agrees to take one with him is nothing short of radiant. Phichit's look of shock afterwards when Chris admits he doesn't really use social media much is far funnier.

"I'm tagging you in this," he insists. "And all the others I put up."

"Will that make me use it more?" asks Chris with a laugh.

"Not necessarily but I'll bug you about it," Phichit grins.

"So I'm being bullied into it now?"

"You should post more!"

"You think so?" Chris asks, raising an eyebrow but still half-laughing.

"Yes!" says Phichit earnestly. "I already think you're super interesting!"

Chris barely has time to process Phichit's words (and probably laugh them off or blush) before he feels a sudden pair of arms around his shoulders.

"Chriiiiiis!"

Twisting slightly in his seat, Chris sees that Yuuri has draped himself over his back. A pink flush adorns his cheeks and his breath smells strongly of punch as he kisses Chris on the cheek.

"Chris you're so cool," he coos, grip around Chris vice-like. "You're so nice."

Chris laughs, patting Yuuri's arm. "I think you're lovely too Yuuri."

A soft giggle sounds in Chris' ear and Yuuri cuddles him tighter. "Isn't Phichit the best?"

"Thanks Yuuri," laughs Phichit.

"He's lovely," agrees Chris. "You have good taste in friends."

He flashes a quick grin at Phichit, who winks back, and Yuuri nods.

"Chris I've been worried about you," says Yuuri, pulling back to look at him. His expression is almost comically sad – like Makkachin when Viktor tells her not to eat plastic – and Chris has to stifle another laugh at the sight.

"Why's that?" he asks instead.

"Well I know you were really sad about Alex," says Yuuri. "And I want you to be happy."

"I'm okay," reassures Chris, putting a hand on Yuuri's shoulder.

Yuuri nods, eyes wide. "Can I tell you a secret?" he hisses in a stage whisper.

"What's that?" Chris asks, humouring Yuuri by leaning in conspiratorially.

Yuuri's hands come to rest either side of Chris' face. "You look really happy," he continues in the stage whisper; Chris knows Phichit can hear every word. "You and Phichit look really sweet together."

Chris can feel his cheeks starting to heat up under Yuuri's hands. "Y-yeah?" he asks, carefully not looking at Phichit.

"Yeah," says Yuuri earnestly. "I ship it!"

"Yuuri, there you are!"

Saved from responding by Viktor's appearance, Chris breathes a sigh of relief and Yuuri's hands leave his face.

"Viiiiktoooor!" Yuuri sings, throwing his arms around Viktor's waist and nuzzling into his chest. "I was just talking to Chris and Phichit..."

"I can see that," says Viktor, smiling at Chris and Phichit. "Yuuri, my angel, have you seen Makkachin?"

"She's in bed I think?" says Yuuri, shifting from foot to foot in Viktor's arms.

"Shall we go take a look?" Viktor suggests, prompting a nod from Yuuri. As they turn to go, he looks over his shoulder at Chris, mouthing, "Sorry."

Chris waves a hand and settles back in his seat. When he glances at Phichit, he gets a slightly awkward smile in return and clears his throat, unsure what to say.

"I always forget what a mess Yuuri is when he's drunk," says Phichit on a little laugh.

"Yeah," grins Chris, sipping his juice. "I guess Viktor didn't manage to pace him with water this time."

They fall into silence, Yuuri's words having thrown them, and Chris casts about desperately for something to say. Eventually his thoughts are interrupted by Phichit's phone chiming with an alarm, which Phichit silences with a sigh.

"That late already? Time sure does fly," he says to his phone. When Chris looks at him questioningly, he explains, "I need to go catch my bus."

Frowning, Chris looks at his watch. "Are they still running?"

Phichit nods. "I checked the website yesterday."

"Won't it be different because of the long weekend though?" asks Chris. "Don't they stop earlier?"

Phichit's eyes widen. "I hadn't thought of that."

He whips out his phone again, tapping and scrolling for a bit before he groans.

"Looks like you're right: they stopped two hours ago," he says, looking back at Chris. "Do you think there'll be any taxis available?"

"I doubt it," says Chris. "It's peak clubbing time."

"Fuck," sighs Phichit, going back to his phone. Chris blinks in surprise – he didn't expect to hear Phichit swear – before Phichit groans again. "And Uber is _still_ down... I'll have to see if I can crash here."

"Unless," says Chris as Phichit gets up, an idea popping suddenly into his head. Phichit pauses, looking down at him, and Chris swallows. "Unless I can offer you a ride home?"

Phichit raises his eyebrows. "Are you sure?"

Chris nods. "Yeah it was no problem. I'll need to wait a little longer for my blood alcohol level to go back to normal if that's okay though."

"Yeah, that's fine," says Phichit, sinking back onto the sofa. "Thank you so much."

"You're welcome," replies Chris.

Half an hour later, they say their goodbyes and leave; Yuuri is leaning on Viktor by now and fortunately can't say anything else about shipping them together, but Viktor slants an eyebrow at Chris as they hug. Chris responds with a little cock of his head – a clear 'not right now' – before he and Phichit go. Outside, they duck into Chris' car and, after ascertaining where Phichit lives, starts the engine and they set off.

"Thanks again," says Phichit. "For taking me home."

"It's really no problem," replies Chris. "It's on my way."

"Still," says Phichit, "it's really nice of you."

Chris is grateful for the gloom around them as he feels warmth creep into his face again.

"Are you working tomorrow?" he asks to cover any awkwardness in his tone.

"Yeah," says Phichit. "I start at four."

"Well you don't have to be up at the ass-crack of dawn at least," says Chris.

"Yeah I can sleep in for a little while," says Phichit.

"That's good," says Chris. "I'm not sure Galadriel will let me sleep in."

"Is she one of those 'human feed me now' types?"

"Yeah," laughs Chris. "She's real sweet when she wants something, if demanding, but when she's got everything she needs she gets really standoffish and independent again. I think if she had opposable thumbs she'd probably leave me."

Phichit giggles, the sound sweet and tinkling like a bell. "Sounds like a pretty typical cat then."

The rest of the car journey – as short as it is – passes with more conversation and laughter. When Chris pulls up outside Phichit's building, Phichit turns to him with one last grin.

"Thanks again," he says. "Hopefully I'll see you soon."

"Yeah that would be cool," nods Chris. "Bye for now."

"Bye," says Phichit, opening the door and climbing out. Chris watches him, not driving away until Phichit is inside. It's only once he gets home himself that Chris realises he didn't even think of Alex once tonight.


	3. Say You'll Be Mine

**Happy Friday everyone, we're getting into the meat of the story here!**

* * *

As promised, Phichit adds Chris on Instagram and Facebook so he can tag him in the pictures from the party. Normally he'd have been circulating and taking pictures with everyone he could who was there but he can't quite find it in himself to be upset about only having taken photos with one person this time, especially when that one person is as gorgeous as Chris. A quick scroll through Chris' pictures on both apps makes Phichit whistle in appreciation – how has he never noticed or even met this guy before? – and he fights the urge to like all of them, even the ones from several months back. There are a few with the guy from the café – Alex – that give Phichit some pause. How hung up is Chris on the guy? _Is_ he hung up on him? After their conversation yesterday, Phichit was just about ready to ask Chris out, but looking at Chris' pictures now he hesitates.

A rattling from the hamster house breaks Phichit from his thoughts and he looks up.

"Sorry babies," he coos, slipping his phone into his pocket and going over to top up their food and sweep out the run. Soon after, he reattaches the refilled water bottle to the side of the house and the hamsters nibble on chunks of carrot.

"What should I do?" he asks them, leaning one elbow on the edge of the run and resting his chin in his hand. The hamsters scarcely look up from their food; they're used to him chatting to them aimlessly by now. "He's so lovely but I don't want him to feel pressured or anything and I don't want to be a rebound..."

Fairy stuffs a sunflower seed into her cheek and climbs into the wheel off to one side, starting to scurry in it, while her brother Noodle starts to groom himself. Chunky little Puddle shoves more food into his mouth before flopping down in a pile of bedding and Baby comes to the front of the house to get a drink. Phichit smiles as he watches her sipping from the bottle.

"Should I just... talk to him?" he asks. Baby looks at him, little black eyes shining. "Yeah, probably..."

He pulls out his phone again, unable to resist snapping a quick picture of the hamsters and whacking a filter on it before uploading it to the Ham Gang Instagram. Switching over to a chat window, he sends a short message to Chris.

 **[18.31] Phichit** : Heya how's you? :)

He puts down his phone, gathering the mess he's gathered from the hamster house and taking it to the kitchen to stuff it in the bin. Upon getting back, he sees his phone flashing with a notification. Assuming it's a like on the the photo of the hamsters, Phichit barely looks at his phone as he unlocks it. When he sees a message from Chris instead, he feels a look of surprise cross his face.

 **[18.34] Chris** : I'm good thanks, you? Saw your picture of the hams, they're looking very cute today. :)

With a grin and a little excited thump of his heart, Phichit starts composing a message back. While he's not sure what to do for sure, he can still message Chris and get to know him a little better.

* * *

A week (and many more online conversations) later, Phichit knows he's crushing for sure. Every time he sees a new message from Chris, his heart skips. When they're not actively messaging each other, he scrolls back through their previous messages and he thinks about Chris all the time. During his shifts at work, he daydreams about Chris coming into the café just to see him and say hi. When they chat to each other late in the evening, he fantasises about sending a message to the effect of 'hey want to come over for Netflix and chill ;)', of Chris agreeing and the two of them spending the whole night together. In the privacy of his own mind, Phichit thinks of ways to bump into Chris and mentally engineers situations where they might happen to be in the same place at the same time.

Phichit has always been pretty confident – he likes meeting new people and enjoys putting himself out there and helping others do the same. Without his assistance, he's pretty sure Yuuri would never have had the courage to accept when Viktor asked him out. To be unsure of himself as he is now is not in Phichit's nature and all of it is down to Chris, aka. The Most Perfect and Frustrating Man in the World, aka. the only person who has ever managed this in the history of the world. Even Phichit's last boyfriend – a while ago now – didn't turn him upside down like this. It's not all because of Alex either (though that is a spanner in the works): Chris makes Phichit feel funny and giggly, like his insides are fizzing with giddiness, just by sending him a good morning text. He can only hope that he might incite similar feelings in Chris – even if not to the same ridiculous extent as in himself.

Another fortnight later and Phichit is practically climbing the walls with how crazy Chris is making him. They've been messaging several times a day – Phichit even danced around the topic of hanging out sometime a few days despite his promise not to even put light pressure on Chris – but still nothing happens. Eventually, with no other idea of what to do, he calls Yuuri and arranges to meet up with him the following night for dinner.

Under the fluorescent lights in the diner, Phichit pouts, stirring his strawberry milkshake with his straw as he rests his chin on one hand.

"So have you been flirting with him?" asks Yuuri before biting into a chip.

Phichit shrugs. "Sort of? I mean I haven't been going as ham as I would because I know he only just got dumped but I'm pretty sure I still flirted a bit – I'm only human."

"Did he flirt back?"

"I think so," says Phichit. "He's super friendly and sometimes he makes innuendoes and stuff so I think that counts as flirting." He sees a look cross Yuuri's face and his stomach twists. "Unless... is that how he is with everyone?"

Yuuri nods. "A little bit."

"Shit." Phichit can feel himself deflating. What if he's wasting his time on Chris?

"That's a good sign though," adds Yuuri.

"It is?"

"Yeah." Yuuri nods, taking a bite of his burger before continuing, "It means he's starting to get back to normal and he might be a little happier. Viktor's been worrying about him. So have I."

Phichit takes a chip and dips it thoughtfully into his milkshake. "So do you think that means he's getting over this Alex dude?" he asks, eating the chip.

Yuuri shrugs. "Who knows? I mean I never really thought Alex was all that but Chris really liked him so it's understandable he'd be upset for a while, even if the rest of us think he's better off without him."

"So... should I just carry on and wait it out or go for it?" asks Phichit.

Yuuri swallows and opens his mouth to reply but is interrupted by Phichit's phone ringing. The two of them share a look before Phichit picks it up and sees Chris' name on screen. He looks at Yuuri.

"It's Chris."

"Then answer it."

A little bit stunned, Phichit swipes across the screen and holds the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

"Hey Phichit," says Chris, his voice even better than Phichit remembered. "How are you?"

"Yeah not bad thanks," replies Phichit. "Just out to dinner with Yuuri – how about you?"

"I'm good," says Chris. He sounds like he's smiling. "I won't keep you if you're busy, I just wanted to ask you something."

Phichit's heart starts beating hard in his chest and he swallows. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," says Chris. "Would you like to go for dinner sometime? Or maybe a coffee?"

The smile that spreads across Phichit's face nearly hurts with how wide it is. He nods. "Yeah, either of those sounds great!"

"Awesome," says Chris – definitely with a grin in his voice. "I'll have a look at some places and message you. Is Friday okay?"

"Yes," replies Phichit.

"Great, I'll let you know what time I'll pick you up."

"Cool."

"Enjoy the rest of your meal," says Chris. "See you later."

"Bye."

As he hangs up, Phichit can feel Yuuri's gaze on him and when he looks up he sees a satisfied smile on Yuuri's face.

"So...?"

"We're going out on Friday."

Yuuri punches the air with a little whoops and Phichit doesn't even try to stop the giggles bubbling up out of him.

* * *

The rest of the week crawls by; Chris messages the following evening to say he'll pick up Phichit at six o'clock and Phichit is so excited he completely forgets to ask where they're going. They still message almost daily, even just to say good morning and goodnight, and each day Phichit changes his mind about what to wearing on Friday. When the day finally comes, Phichit decides on a red shirt and black jeans, figuring that whatever Chris has planned, it will probably work clothing-wise. He floats through his morning shift at The Coffee Cube and everyone around him can tell how happy he is.

"Why are you _humming_?" groans Yuri, setting down a tray of empty cups on the counter and scowling at Phichit, who's cleaning the percolator. "It's before noon."

"Didn't you hear?" asks Leo, putting change in the cash register and grinning slyly. "Phichit's got a _date_ tonight."

"Wow, really?" asks Yuri.

"You sound surprised," laughs Phichit. "Am I really so hopeless?"

"No," says Yuri. "Just it's been... what, a year since you last went on a date?"

"Something like that," admits Phichit, whacking coffee grounds into the bin. Something feels a little off in the pit of his stomach at Yuri's words, the first sign of anything but excitement he's felt all day.

"Aren't you kind of worried about how it'll go?" asks Yuri. "Like what if you're out of practice?"

Unsure of what to say to that, Phichit raises an eyebrow and wipes down the sides of the percolator, but Leo laughs.

"You don't get 'out of practice' with dating, Yuri!" he says, leaning on the cash register. "I don't even know how you'd come up with something like that!"

Yuri flushes. "I don't know, I just saw it online somewhere."

"And you're what, fifteen?"

"I'm seventeen," Yuri bristles.

"So you're not speaking from experience then," grins Leo.

Yuri scowls again. "Shut up."

He stalks off to go wipe down tables and Leo laughs again.

"Don't worry about him," he says to Phichit. "He's just grumpy because he doesn't know how to flirt so his relationship with Otabek is stalling in Friendsville."

Phichit smiles and finishes cleaning the machine, shaking his head to himself. Whoever heard of being out of practice at dating?

* * *

The restaurant Chris takes Phichit to is wonderful: smallish and intimate but still lively enough with music and people that it's not boring. Phichit can barely stop grinning at Chris across the table long enough to actually read his menu and choose something to eat.

"Everything looks so good," he says enthusiastically, gazing at the dishes described in front of him. "Have you come here before?"

Chris nods. "A few times."

"What would you recommend?"

"Hmm..." Chris looks down his own menu before looking back up. "I mean I assume you want me to be more specific than ' literally anything because it's all delicious' so I'll say go for the Milanese chicken because it has a lot of flavours in it."

Phichit nods and looks down the menu to see the dish Chris described and when the waiter comes to take their order that's what he ends up requesting. Part of him is still stunned at being on an actual date with Chris and he's fighting the urge to pinch himself just a tiny bit.

"So what have you been up to lately?" asks Chris after the waiter leaves.

"Working mostly," says Phichit, fingers fiddling with the hem of the tablecloth where it sits across his lap. "Hanging out with the hams."

"How are they all?" asks Chris.

"Well Baby got loose the other day," says Phichit. "I was worried because she's so tiny but she eventually came out for seeds."

"Ah yeah I think I saw some of the escapades on Instagram," laughs Chris. "Seems she led you on a merry dance."

"She did yes," grins Phichit, trying not to make it too obvious how giddy he is about Chris watching his Instagram stories. "I don't imagine you have the same problem with your cat?"

Chris chuckles. "No, Galadriel doesn't care about escape – she just wants to be the centre of attention all the time."

"Typical cat then?"

"Just a bit, though only when it suits her am I allowed to pet her and trying to get her to the vet is something of a quest in and of itself which is likely less difficult with hamsters."

"Does she get scratchy and spitty?"

"No more sullen and... I guess the best word for it is _heavy_."

"Oh I get you!"

Words flow easily between them, going back and forth like a tennis match. They chat about almost everything and yet Phichit finds he doesn't run out of conversation topics. He's always been sociable and found it easy to chat to just about anyone, but with Chris it's like a rally. For the first time in his life, he thinks he might understand the phrase 'getting on like a house on fire': with the sparks flying between them, the air feels electric, almost combustible. Phichit never wants the evening to end, but eventually they do finish dinner and Chris settles the bill (after promising that Phichit is allowed to pay for the next date – the prospect of which makes Phichit quietly ecstatic) before they leave the restaurant and walk along the river together.

As they go, Phichit suddenly feels a weird lurch in his stomach – that feeling he had earlier after talking to Yuri: a weird, panicky feeling like he's treading water suddenly out of his depth. Should he try to hold Chris' hand? Would Chris like that or would he pull away?

"Phichit!"

Suddenly, Phichit feels an arm around him and Chris' chest pressed into his back. A moment later, a couple of people zip past on bikes – if Chris hadn't grabbed him, they would have collided with him.

"You okay?" asks Chris, still holding onto him.

"Yeah – sorry, I was..." Phichit searches for the right words. "Uh... thinking about stuff."

"Yeah?" asks Chris, finally letting go of Phichit and instead taking his hand. "Anything interesting?"

With Chris' hand in his own, Phichit shakes his head, smiling up at Chris. "Nope, just random thoughts."

They continue quietly along the river together hand in hand, gazing across the water. The street lights reflected in the water move and ripple with a gentle breeze and the passing by of a couple of ducks. Phichit follows their progress down the river, turning his head until he's almost looking over his shoulder, before he feels a squeeze to his hand. Looking up again, he sees a sweet smile on Chris' face.

"You okay?" he asks.

Chris nods. "Yeah, I just wanted to say thank you for a lovely evening," he says softly. Phichit realises they've come to a stop by a quiet part of the river with no open shops or cafés nearby. Foot traffic reduces and they find themselves alone together. "I've had a really good time."

Phichit grins. "I have too – thank you so much."

For a moment, all they do is gaze at each other, matching expressions on their faces, lit by the soft glow of the street lights. Phichit can feel his heart starting to thud in his ears and he almost laughs at the sensation but then Chris strokes a hand across his cheek.

"I hope you don't mind me being honest," he says, green eyes sincere.

"I don't mind at all," says Phichit, a fluttering in his stomach.

"I like you a lot," says Chris, "and I know it feels really quick to say that but it's true."

"I like you too," says Phichit, laying one hand over Chris' fingers on his face. His smile almost aches but he's too happy to care, especially with Chris' face so close to his own.

Their noses brush gently. Phichit's eyes slip closed as he tilts back his head and their lips finally meet in the softest of kisses. It's over quickly – too quickly – so Phichit chases the kiss with another. The rest of the early summer evening melts away, leaving them kissing on the bank of the river.


	4. Summer Of Love

**Hi all, it's Pandora! In this chapter we see Chris and Phichit getting closer - hope you like it. :)**

* * *

If they were messaging each other a lot before, Chris and Phichit's communications become practically incessant after that first date. Upon waking, Chris will either find a message from Phichit to say good morning (always with a cluster of emojis) or he'll send one himself. After a while, the messages turn into sleepy morning selfies, complete with bedhead and pink sheet indentations on warm, stubbled cheeks; Chris wants to screenshot every single one but resists in the interest of not filling his phone's storage up in two weeks flat. As it is, he gets plenty of other pictures: selfies of Phichit with various of his hamsters, selfies of Phichit on the way to work, selfies of Phichit cooking dinner or hanging out at home. Not _every_ picture is a selfie, but he is starting to realise just how much of a selfie fiend Phichit is... Not that he's complaining about that _at all_ : Phichit is not only a master of selfies but also somehow both adorable and sexy at the same time. With every new photo, Chris can't stop drinking in Phichit's bright smile and lovely dark eyes, can't help the little skip of his heart at the knowledge that Phichit's taken these pictures just for him.

The ache in Chris' heart is dulling, beginning to be replaced with a brightness, a joy, and he finds himself whistling as he goes about his days. He looks forward to evenings now, when he can go home and chat to Phichit online or over the phone – obviously not every single evening as Phichit occasionally works and they both have other commitments apart from each other, but still regularly enough that they start to really get to know one another.

Phichit invites Chris over one evening for dinner and to watch _Labyrinth_ together and Chris spends the whole day at work beforehand grinning and bouncing in his seat. His colleagues tease him about it, of course they do, but it doesn't even put the slightest dampener on his mood. When he eventually leaves work, Chris practically runs to his car and the drive over to Phichit's place takes barely any time at all. Phichit greets him at the door with a wide, sweet smile and a little brown hamster in one hand.

"Hey," he says brightly, opening one arm out to Chris for a hug once the door is shut. "How was your day?"

"It was good I think," says Chris into Phichit's shoulder. His clothes smell warm and vaguely like vanilla before they pull apart and he looks at Chris curiously.

"You think?"

"I barely remember it," admits Chris. "I was really looking forward to this evening."

Phichit grins up at him. "Really?"

"Of course," says Chris. "Who wouldn't be excited to spend the evening with four very cute hamsters?"

He winks and Phichit laughs. "Ah so all this was just a ruse to get to hang with the Ham Gang – I should have known! Hand."

Chris holds out his hand and Phichit deposits the hamster he's been holding onto it. Its feet tickle at Chris' palm as he follows Phichit through to the living room. The flat is small but cosy, with a kitchen leading through from the living room and half-open door to the bathroom on the opposite wall. Chris supposes that the closed door in the hallway must be for Phichit's bedroom.

"So who's this?" he asks as Phichit gets the DVD player set up.

"You mean you haven't learned their names by stalking my Instagram? I'm shocked," chuckles Phichit. "That's Noodle."

"Hi Noodle," says Chris, lifting his hands to look into Noodle's bright little eyes.

He's soon introduced to the rest of the hamsters (Phichit insists on taking a photo of him with all four of them on him for Instagram) before the oven timer pings to signal that the fish is fone and they get set up for dinner. The food is lovely; Chris makes sure to compliment Phichit on his cooking several times (and not just because he enjoys the pleased pink flush that comes into Phichit's cheeks when he does). Fish is followed by apple crumble and custard, equally as delicious, and watching the film eventually turns into cuddles and slow kisses on the sofa. Towards the end of the film, Chris is half-lying on the cushions, Phichit held in his arms and their lips moving together. Phichit's arms are tucked in between their chests and his hands clutch at the front of Chris' shirt as he runs his tongue along Chris' bottom lip. When Chris lets his mouth open, Phichit's tongue swipes along his own and they sigh together, the sound of the film fading away into the background.

Chris' heart is racing, his blood pounding in his ears. Everything about Phichit draws him in, makes his breath hitch and makes him want more, but at the same time he knows this is moving too fast. When they separate for air, he holds one hand to the side of Phichit's face, holding their foreheads together as they catch their breaths.

"Phichit," he murmurs, hearing the shakiness in his own voice.

"Yeah..." Phichit swallows, a wobbly grin coming to his face when their eyes meet. "Sorry, I... got kind of carried away."

"Don't apologise," says Chris, gently brushing Phichit's fringe out of his eyes. "I liked it."

He smiles and they trade one last chaste kiss before sitting up again to watch the last bit of the film together. When Chris glances over at Phichit's face, his eyes are focused on the screen but he's holding his mouth strangely, his lips pursed just a bit. Chris' heart twinges and he reaches out, taking Phichit's hand in his and gently kissing the knuckles. Phichit looks at him again with another little smile and squeezes Chris' hand, but Chris can feel a stiffness in Phichit's arm against his own. As soon as the film is over they turn to one another.

"I'm sorry," they say in unison, their earnest expressions turning to surprised laughs. Chris takes the opportunity to cup Phichit's face in his hands and kiss him on the forehead.

"Sorry," he says again softly. "I don't want to upset you–"

"I'm not," says Phichit quickly, putting his hands over Chris'. "I'm really not – I just..." He gazes into Chris' eyes, apparently searching for his next words. "I don't want to push you because I know how recently you had your break up and I know it must be... I don't know, hard? Weird?"

Chris chuckles. "Man, we made it through one and a half dates before he cropped up."

Phichit flushes, his face warming under Chris' palms. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry," says Chris. He didn't intend for Alex to become the elephant in the room, but he's also been unwilling to bring him up with Phichit in such early days. "I didn't want to be that guy who talks about their ex on dates, you know?"

Phichit nods. "I don't want you to feel like you _can't_ talk about it though."

"Thanks," smiles Chris, brushing his fingers over Phichit's cheeks. "You're so great."

"I try," grins Phichit.

"I like you a lot," says Chris.

"That's good," says Phichit, "because I like you too."

They exchange a couple more kisses before separating again and Phichit goes to retrieve the DVD from the player.

* * *

The happiness and chemistry between Chris and Phichit is impossible to ignore – they're almost always sending each other messages and when they're not they talk about each other all the time. Yuuri invites Phichit over one afternoon when they both have the day off and immediately clocks the grin on his friend's face. Not that Phichit isn't always the literal embodiment of a ray of sunshine, but he seems to positively glow from within now. The air of lethargy and ennui that seemed to linger around Phichit recently has lifted (Yuuri barely noticed it was there before its absence), leaving only a joy and propensity towards gushing.

"Chris sent me a really cute selfie this morning," Phichit says, opening his gallery to show Yuuri. "Look how soft his hair looks – he said he'd just got out of the shower."

Yuuri nods, looking dutifully at the picture. "Very sweet," he agrees. Phichit lets out a pleased hum and settles back against the sofa cushions again, phone still in his hands. "Seems like you guys really hit it off after all that."

"Yup," Phichit grins. "He's _amazing_ Yuuri – thank you for introducing us!"

Yuuri smiles. "Did you say you met him at the café?"

"Yeah but that was like... in a 'hey this customer is really sexy, wouldn't kick him out of bed' fantasy kind of way," explains Phichit. "I never would have actually gone for it until that party. I'm so lucky you and Viktor have such hot friends."

"I'm glad you're happy," chuckles Yuuri. Part of him wants to ask about the Alex aspect but in the face of Phichit's enthusiasm he finds himself hesitating. It's been a long time since he's seen Phichit as disgustingly happy as this, after all, and it's not really his business to say anything, as close as they are.

"I know what you're thinking," says Phichit.

"Hmm?" asks Yuuri, feigning cluelessness.

"You're worrying," Phichit points out.

"No," lies Yuuri. "I'm just thinking."

"About how you're worried?" asks Phichit. When Yuuri can't respond quickly enough, he laughs. "You don't need to worry Yuuri – everything's great."

"I don't doubt it," says Yuuri. "I just wondered if... Has he mentioned Alex at all?"

Phichit nods. "We talked about him a bit. I don't want him to avoid talking about it because it's not fair so I told him we could talk about it if he wants to." He smiles at Yuuri again. "You look surprised."

Yuuri waves his hands in half a shrug. "It's not something I've ever seen anyone else do is all."

"I want things to be really open," says Phichit. "I don't want him to be cagey about it, you know?"

"Yeah," agrees Yuuri, silently marvelling at Phichit's confidence: he's not sure his self-confidence would be able to handle hearing very much about Viktor's ex-partners even now, and they've been together for several years already. At the beginning of their relationship, he would have probably had some kind of breakdown if Viktor had wanted to talk about exes in any capacity.

He doesn't get a chance to say much more: Makkachin's excited barking heralds Viktor's return from work, and when he gets in Phichit goes right back to being excessively chirpy as always. It's impossible for Yuuri to dwell on anything too heavy with his two favourite people in the room with him, and the conversation between them all stays cheerful. Phichit gushes about Chris a little more with Viktor (again mostly to thank him for having such hot friends) and then they chat about hamsters and dogs and food.

When Phichit eventually goes home, Yuuri starts making dinner and doesn't realise he's frowning at the carrots he's chopping until Viktor leans in and kisses him on the cheek.

"Penny for your thoughts," he says, Russian accent lilting softly.

Yuuri looks up at him, ready to wave off any concerns of Viktor's, but then he sighs instead. "Just thinking about Phichit."

Viktor leans against the counter, cocking his head to one side. "Yeah?"

"Yeah, I..." Yuuri puts down the knife he's been using and takes a step back. "Are you worried about him and Chris?"

"How so?"

"Like..." Yuuri's face colours a little – when did he start speculating on others' relationships like this? "Aren't you worried about Phichit being a rebound?"

Viktor raises an eyebrow, apparently thinking. "Not really," he says after a moment.

"Really?"

"Well they're both adults," says Viktor. "Plus I think they're well-suited to each other."

"I'm not disagreeing on that part," says Yuuri; he's under no illusion that they're not something of a match made in heaven. Chris puts his all into everything he does and Phichit responds to every situation with enthusiasm and excitement – together they're effervescent. Still... "But isn't this really soon after Alex?"

Viktor shrugs. "Define 'soon'. Chris didn't even leave the house for a week after the break up, and then they didn't meet properly for another week. Then after that they danced around each other for a while."

"But Chris loved Alex," points out Yuuri. "You can't just turn off feelings like that."

Yuuri knows the look he saw on Phichit's face: if Chris still isn't over Alex then it won't end well for him.

"Sweetheart," says Viktor, taking Yuuri's face in his hands and giving him a reassuring smile. "I know you're worried, but they're happy and Chris is more sensible than you think, so try not to fret."

Yuuri gazes into Viktor's soft blue eyes for a moment before nodding. "Okay."

"Good," says Viktor, stepping back. "Can I help you chop anything?"

* * *

The following Sunday afternoon, Chris finds himself running late. He never runs late normally but apparently the universe has decided that the day he's meeting Phichit to go to the cinema is the day he can't find his keys or phone.

"Where did I leave them?" he mutters to himself, closing his underwear drawer. Both seem to have vanished into thin air and he has no idea where he last saw them.

Frustrated, he leaves his bedroom and goes back into the living room. Maybe he left them on the sofa and they slid down between the cushions? As soon as he goes out into the living room and Galadriel climbs off the sofa to come and wind herself around his legs, Chris sees his keys and phone right where she was sitting.

"Why do you keep stealing my stuff?" he asks, scratching her behind the ears before scooping up the items. He goes to put both in his pocket but then sees a message flashing on his phone. Expecting it to be from Phichit (and feeling a happy tingle in his stomach at that) Chris opens it.

It's not from Phichit.

 **[13.41] Alex** : hey

Chris stares at the solitary word on the screen, his features crumpling into a frown as he feels his heart thumping hard in confusion. Why on earth is Alex messaging him? Was the message even meant for him? If it was, what does it mean? He hasn't spoken to or heard from Alex since that afternoon at The Coffee Cube – which feels like forever ago – and moreover has nothing to say to him. He's sure Alex can't have meant to message him, but should be respond to point out the mistake or leave it on read and ignore it?

Before Chris can make a decision either way, his phone starts to ring and Phichit's face fills the screen. A fleeting pang of guilt comes to him before he hits the green answer button.

"Hey," he greets Phichit, trying for lightness in his tone. "You okay? I'm just about to leave."

"I'm good," says Phichit. "Just wanted to ask if you want me to bring that book I was telling you about the other day? I've finished it and I need someone to talk to about it!"

Chris laughs, patting his pocket to check for his wallet before leaving the house, locking the door behind him. "Yeah that would be great, thank you."

Over the course of the conversation – and the subsequent afternoon spent with Phichit – Chris completely forgets about the message from Alex.


	5. Chain Reaction

**Hi all, it's Pandora - here's some smut to brighten your Tuesday!**

* * *

Summer wears on, the weather becoming humid and slow, and Phichit finds himself thinking more and more about Chris – as if he didn't already think about him pretty much all the time. Chris is at once sweet and sexy; Phichit wants to kiss him silly and bang him like a screen door in a hurricane in equal measure. It's not like they haven't done anything at all – they've kissed a _lot_ , and that's turned into make out sessions on more than one occasion, and sometimes they've progressed to some pretty heavy petting, but nothing more yet. Part of Phichit is almost afraid to go further than that – like it'll make everything more real and more scary – but mostly he longs for more. He's been trying to go slow to give Chris space – he wouldn't want to make him unhappy and push him away – but it's getting harder. It's getting particularly difficult because he's fairly certain Chris wants to go further too and is getting stuck on hang-ups or just stalling because he thinks Phichit is hesitant. If it's the former, Phichit is willing to keep waiting. If it's the latter, then they're stuck in a cycle and Phichit needs to break it. Either way, he knows he should probably talk to Chris about things.

The next problem that arises is _when_ to tell Chris that he wants to bone him. Or be boned by him. Or just to be naked with him. Preferably in a bed, but Phichit is keeping an open mind on that part. How is he meant to figure out the best time to broach the subject though? Should he bring it up on the next date? Or perhaps he ought to ring Chris and talk to him about it that way? Is he overthinking all this?

He sighs, shaking his head to himself as he unlocks and opens his front door. In all likelihood, he probably _is_ overthinking it, but he's also pretty sure that just calling Chris up and going 'hey so when are we going to bang?' isn't the right approach either. Fairy scurries up to the front of the hamster house and watches him as he drops his bag on the sofa, little front paws resting on the bars.

"Did you have a good day bub?" he asks. She scratches her side in response and he comes over. "Is everyone else being sleepyheads?"

Opening the door, he lifts her out, putting her on his shoulder as he closes the door again and goes over to flop on the sofa. Fairy crawls onto his chest as he sinks down, sniffing at the front of his t-shirt, and he strokes one finger down her tiny spine.

"What do you think I should do?" he asks her. She looks at him before going back to sniffing around his chest, her movements suspiciously familiar. With a pout, he raises an eyebrow at her. "Please don't wee on me."

Fairy gazes at him for a moment, apparently considering his plea, before starting to clean her paws. For now it seems he's safe from hamster pee.

"This shouldn't be that hard right?" he asks her. "I like him and he likes me... At least I assume so." He recalls one evening last week when Chris dropped him off in his car after they saw a film together where they kissed each other breathless and Phichit found indentations from the handbrake and gearstick in his hip afterwards. No, that level of interest seems difficult to feign. "It all feels so easy with him," he can't help but gush a little to Fairy, now cleaning her small belly. "Like, I can talk to him about anything and he's so sweet."

Before he can say anything more, his phone buzzes, lighting up with a message.

 **[17.52] Chris** : Hey, how was your day? xxx

Phichit stares for a moment at Chris' picture on his phone screen, considering diving in with what he's been thinking over for the last few days. But, then again, this still isn't the best time.

 **[17.53] Phichit** : It was good thanks, kind of slow though, yours? xxx

 **[17.54] Chris** : Slow too, my mind kept wandering to you. ;) Was wondering if you'd like to go skating with me at the weekend? xxx

Phichit grins. Hopefully he can talk to Chris about how he feels when they see each other.

As it turns out, he doesn't need to: Chris brings it up in his own roundabout way when they see each other.

When Phichit gets to the skating rink on Saturday, his work uniform stuffed in his bag, his heart does its usual somersault at the sight of Chris leaning casually against the bike racks. How does he manage to be so effortlessly cool?! They greet each other with grins and a slightly lingering kiss that stops just short of leaving Phichit's knees weak before heading indoors. The ice is busy with it being a Saturday, full of families and groups of teenagers and couples, but they find their own space and follow the flow of people around the rink. They're neither of them professional by any means, but when things quiet down a little Phichit teaches Chris how to skate backwards and Chris helps Phichit figure out how to do a simple spin.

"Yeah, put your feet like that," says Chris as Phichit attempts it on his own. "Don't overbala–"

Phichit stumbles, skidding and rolling his ankle. His fall to the ice is stopped by Chris stepping forward and grabbing him around the middle, holding their bodies together to give Phichit the chance to get his feet solidly under himself again.

"You okay?" asks Chris.

"Yeah," nods Phichit, voice a little breathless from surprise and the sudden proximity.

"Is your ankle alright?"

Phichit tests it, frowning slightly. "Feels weird."

"Do you want to sit down?" asks Chris.

Phichit nods. "If that's okay."

"Of course," Chris says, leaving Phichit's hands on his shoulders as he turns and crouches a little. "Hop on."

Phichit hesitates only briefly before climbing on Chris' back piggyback-style. Part of him wonders if this will ever work but then Chris straightens up and holy hell, he's _strong_. A light blush builds in Phichit's cheeks as Chris carries him easily across the ice and he holds on tight, thinking irresistibly of Chris' body and his hands on his thighs, lifting him effortlessly. They make it back to the stands in a frustratingly short time and Chris deposits Phichit on a bench.

"How does it feel?" asks Chris.

Phichit slowly flexes his ankle, feeling it twinge a little. "It'll be okay," he replies.

"You don't need me to kiss it better?" asks Chris, winking at Phichit and making him giggle.

"Maybe later if you play your cards right," he says with a slick grin.

Chris returns the smile, leaning in for a quick kiss to Phichit's lips. When he pulls back he looks thoughtful however. "Hey, Phichit?"

"Yeah?" Phichit can feel his heart starting to skip a little at the look on Chris' face.

"How... do you feel about us?" asks Chris.

Phichit's pulse picks up further and his face flushes. "H-how do you mean?" He doesn't mean to stammer but his breath catches on the words.

"Sorry, that was kind of weird and vague," chuckles Chris. "I really like you and I don't want you to think I don't just because we haven't slept together yet."

Phichit lets out a relieved sigh. "I didn't know how to talk to you about it," he admits.

"Was it bothering you?" asks Chris, looking concerned.

"Not exactly," says Phichit, searching for the right words. "I just... didn't want to push you before you wanted to go any further."

Chris smiles tenderly, cupping Phichit's face with one hand. "Thank you," he says. "You're amazing."

"I try," says Phichit with a little grin.

"You succeed," says Chris, stealing another quick kiss before looking searchingly into Phichit's eyes. "But you'd like to?"

"Huh?" Phichit thinks he knows where this is going but he can't get his brain in gear to clarify more eloquently.

"Sleep together?"

Phichit beams. "Ready when you are."

* * *

When they get back to Chris' after dinner, Phichit can already feel anticipation buzzing under his skin and his stomach is full of butterflies. The kiss they shared as they got in the car was full of promise and Chris seemed to be eyeing him over as he drove them both back. Once the door is shut behind them, Chris pulls Phichit to him in another long, lingering kiss and Phichit's knees go wobbly. He backs up, the door solid behind him as he lets his head tip back and mouth fall open: Chris wastes no time at all in running his tongue over Phichit's lower lip and the underside of Phichit's tongue. A soft sigh leaves Phichit's lips, escaping as they briefly part for air, and Chris' hands roam his body, tugging at Phichit's t-shirt one minute and tangling in his hair the next. Phichit starts to wonder if they'll even make it as far as the bedroom but then Chris pulls back.

"How's your ankle feeling?" he asks.

"Uh..." Phichit blinks, letting his brain catch up to him as the tests and flexes his ankle. "A little tender maybe?"

Chris kisses the tip of Phichit's nose. "Let me help you with your shoes," he says, getting down on his knees. Before Phichit can protest, Chris unties his shoes and slips them off. Standing once again, he gestures to Phichit. "May I?"

Phichit nods, putting one arm around Chris' shoulders and letting him lift his legs so that Chris is carrying him. Again he marvels at Chris' ease in carrying him, even as he slips off his own shoes.

"Now," says Chris. "Would you like a whistle-stop tour?"

"I'm at your mercy," says Phichit with a grin.

"I'll quickly show you around then," says Chris. "Seems polite."

"My, such a gentleman," says Phichit to a low chuckle from Chris.

"Don't worry, I know when not to be," he says, bringing a flush to Phichit's cheeks as he carries him through the flat. "Living room."

The room is warm and cosy with a tall bookshelf overflowing with books and lit by the pre-sunset light coming in through the large windows. Phichit can see how comfortable the sofa is already – he can't help but imagine curling up on it under a blanket with Chris for a Netflix marathon.

"Very nice," he says, getting a grin from Chris as they move on.

Chris shows him the kitchen-diner, bathroom and utility room before they finally go through the last ajar door into Chris' bedroom. The bed is huge – easily king-size – and covered in dark indigo bedding along with numerous throw cushions. It looks wonderful.

"And this is where the magic happens."

Despite himself and his excitement, the butterflies in Phichit's stomach are flapping madly and his smile turns a little set. Chris leans in, kissing him on the cheek.

"We don't have to if you don't want to," he says softly. "We can just see where things go."

Phichit nods and Chris puts him down on the bed, kissing him once more. As Chris crawls over him, Phichit slowly leans back, sinking into the mattress. Suddenly he jumps, breaking the kiss as one of the cushions under him gets up, making a disgruntled sound.

"Galadriel!" says Chris, looking up at the cat. "There you are."

The cat eyes them both suspiciously, not moving from her spot among the pillows, and Chris reaches out one hand to stroke her between the ears.

"You're going to have to leave my dear," he says fondly. "We're going to engage in some activities to which you're not invited."

When she still doesn't move, Chris tuts and gets up, scooping her into his arms. Galadriel lets out a grumpy meow, trying to escape Chris' grip, but he holds her close against his chest and leaves the bedroom. The sound of packets rustling and dry food being poured into a bowl comes to Phichit as he sits up on the bed and soon after Chris returns, closing the door behind him.

"She's not happy," he says.

"No?" asks Phichit.

"Nah, she's probably going to shit in the bath," replies Chris with a chuckle. Phichit laughs too. "Pro-tip: never get a cat."

"I'm okay with my hams," grins Phichit before leaning forward to take Chris' hand. "Now, where were we?"

Chris smiles, getting back on the bed and kissing Phichit again. Phichit's descent into the mattress is uninterrupted this time and soon he's on his back, Chris' tongue playing with his own and the clean smell of Chris' cologne washing over him. He tangles the fingers of one hand in Chris' hair while he clutches at Chris' shoulder with the other. Meanwhile, Chris' free hand is roaming Phichit's chest, fingers warm through Phichit's t-shirt as he kisses him senseless.

"Chris," Phichit sighs between kisses, tilting his head back to expose his neck, which Chris starts to explore with his lips. Every light brush over Phichit's skin stokes the fire inside him and his heart thrums wildly. "Chris, can I...?" He tugs at the collar of Chris' shirt; on a nod from Chris he starts to unbutton the shirt as Chris licks and gently nips at his neck, his own warm hands crawling up Phichit's body under his t-shirt.

When he brushes over one nipple with his finger, Phichit gasps, letting out a soft whimper, and Chris repeats the motion to draw another from him. Soon, Phichit's t-shirt is off and drops to the floor along with Chris' shirt, their hands growing more exploratory over each other's bodies and lips moving more insistently against one another. As Chris dips his head down to lay sweet kisses all over Phichit's chest, Phichit watches the slow dip and undulation of his shoulder blades, running his fingers over them. The skin is freckled, evidence of the beautiful weather they've had lately, but there's a small patch of curiously bone-white right over his spine that Phichit touches gently.

"What's this?" he asks, voice hitching when Chris' tongue darts out and flicks at his nipple. Chris' hazel gaze slides up Phichit's body so that their eyes meet.

"A birthmark," he replies. "My mother calls it my ghost patch."

Phichit smiles. "That's cute."

With a grin, Chris grazes Phichit's nipple with his teeth, getting a squeal in response. Phichit sits up, capturing Chris' lips in another kiss before rolling them both over and sitting astride his thighs. He runs his fingers over Chris' chest, enjoying the spark in Chris' eyes.

"You're so sexy," says Chris, beaming up at Phichit as his hands rub up and down Phichit's thighs.

Phichit leans down, kissing Chris again, drawing his fingertips over Chris' skin and bringing a pleased sound from him. Instinctively, he grinds down very slightly and feels a nibble at his bottom lip as Chris quietly groans. Chris' hands move backwards, cupping Phichit's bottom through his jeans, before moving up his sides, fingers light over his skin. The move apart for air again and Phichit feels one of Chris' fingers lingering over a spot on his ribs.

"What's this?" Chris asks. "Feels like a scar."

"It is," says Phichit. "I fell off my bike when I was a kid."

"Ouch," murmurs Chris, curling up so he can kiss the scar gently before straightening up again. Phichit takes Chris' face in his hands, smiling down at him while Chris moves his hands down and starts to slowly undo Phichit's jeans. Almost unable to believe that this is happening, Phichit stays quiet, and Chris pauses, one hand on Phichit's fly. "Is this okay?"

"Yeah," Phichit nods. "Just..." He feels a swell in his chest, excited and thrumming, completely indescribable. "I'm really happy to be here with you."

Chris grins again, cupping Phichit's face with one hand. "And I you," he says. "Do you want me to carry on?"

Phichit nods and Chris flips them both over again before unzipping Phichit's fly and starting to take off his jeans. Lifting his hips, Phichit shimmies out of them, slipping off his socks for good measure, and Chris drops it all on the floor before warm hands turn to Phichit's knees. A gentle touch parts Phichit's legs and Chris sinks down, kissing up from Phichit's ankles to his knees and them gradually up his thighs, lips teasing and gentle. Phichit flops flat on the mattress, gazing dazedly up at the ceiling as he enjoys the feelings on his body, jumping to attention when he feels Chris' teeth scrape high up on his thigh.

"Chris," he whines, voice plaintive, and Chris looks up at him from under his lashes. "Please – take them off."

Chris kisses his thigh again. "Gladly."

Once more, Phichit lifts his hips and Chris tugs his underwear down, dropping that last article of clothing off the bed before lowering his head again. He litters Phichit's skin with more kisses, going from his thighs to his stomach, fingers starting to gently stroke up and down Phichit's erection. Phichit's soft moans start to fill the air and he clutches at the pillows under his head as Chris kisses the tip of his cock. Little and then longer licks draw further, louder whimpers from Phichit and by the time Chris closes his mouth around Phichit's dick he's panting, tension starting to coil inside him. His toes curl, knees shaking as Chris swallows around him, taking Phichit into the back of his throat as he continues to suck, head bobbing up and down.

" _Fuck_ ," Phichit gasps, hearing (and feeling) Chris chuckle in response, sending vibrations through him. When Chris' fingers trail down over his balls, Phichit shudders. He doesn't know how but Chris seems to know how to take him apart piece by piece and he's practically purring under his ministrations. Soon, he brings his hands to Chris' head, urging him to lift it, which he does with a lewd slurping sound.

"Everything okay?" Chris asks to a nod from Phichit.

"I was going to start getting close," says Phichit.

The little raise of Chris' eyebrows quickly changes to a grin of understanding and he gets up on his hands to kiss Phichit again, lips wet and warm and intoxicating. Phichit lets his hands trail down Chris' body, starting to pop open the buttons on Chris' jeans, fingers working as quickly as they can while Chris continues to kiss him. Eventually he gets the jeans open all the way and Chris wriggles out of them, leaving himself bare; Phichit blinks.

"Did... you go commando?" he asks. "To go ice skating?"

Chris chuckles, lying beside Phichit on the bed – his cock juts out hard from his body against Phichit's hip. "I very rarely wear underwear. Not my thing. Plus it saves on laundry."

With a quirk of his eyebrow, Phichit grins. "Good to know."

He slides one hand down, taking hold of Chris' dick and starting to stroke it. In his ear, Chris hisses in pleasure and bites gently down on the earlobe, making Phichit squeeze his hand reflexively. Chris shudders against him and hums softly.

"Ah fuck," he murmurs. "Yeah, just like that."

The words send a shiver through Phichit and he starts to pump his hand more confidently, getting more hums and soft moans in his ear. Eventually Chris reaches his own hand down and wraps it around Phichit's cock. Phichit whimpers, squirming as their hands fall into rhythm together. Chris' free arm encircles his shoulders, pulling them close together.

"Mmh," Chris moans softly, body twitching under Phichit's attentions. His lips trail up Phichit's throat, settling behind his ear again and he whispers against Phichit's skin, "You're so sexy."

Phichit flushes, pleased, the rhythm of his hand faltering as he trembles. "Chris," he murmurs. "I... Do you... have condoms?"

Chris pulls back a little, gazing at Phichit. "Are you sure?"

Phichit nods. "If you want to?"

"I do," Chris grins, kissing him again. When they part again he pushes himself up off the mattress. "Be right back."

He clambers off the bed, going into his bedside table drawer and retrieving a condom and bottle of lube before returning to Phichit with more kisses. Together they sink into the bed, limbs entangled and hearts racing, and Phichit hears Chris pop open the bottle of lube with one hand.

"Lie on your back," Chris urges. Phichit does so, parting his legs automatically and letting Chris settle between them. As one of his knees is lifted, Phichit feels Chris' fingers at his backside. "Just relax."

His fingers rub gentle circles, coaxing Phichit to breathe out slowly. It's been a while, and part of Phichit worries about it, but Chris is unhurried in his movements, giving him time to ease into it. By the time the first finger slips inside him, Phichit is softly whining.

"Enjoying yourself?" Chris asks.

"Y-yes," replies Phichit breathlessly as Chris works his finger in and out, the movements slippery with the lube. Soon Chris adds a second finger, easing it in alongside the other while Phichit arches his back.

"Is it okay?" Chris asks, kissing Phichit's stomach just under his ribcage.

Phichit nods, whimpering as Chris moves and slowly scissors his fingers. His knees buckle as he feels Chris find and gently nudge his prostate.

"Aha," Chris says softly; when Phichit looks down at him through heavy-lidded eyes he smiles and does it again, apparently enjoying the moan that comes from Phichit when he does so. "You look gorgeous like this."

"Thanks," breathes Phichit, grinding down on Chris' fingers just slightly.

Soon Chris adds a third finger, moving and shifting all of them slowly and deliberately, brushing Phichit's prostate just enough to turn him into a writhing mess on the bed. He drops more kisses over Phichit's skin: over his stomach, up to his ribs, down to his hips or thighs, once lightly ghosting his lips over Phichit's erection again. Eventually – it feels like ages to Phichit – Chris withdraws his fingers and shifts on the bed, grabbing the condom and lube once more. Phichit lifts his other knee, settling his legs either side of Chris' hips as he puts on the condom and douses his cock in more lube.

"You ready?" asks Chris, drawing closer to Phichit and guiding his dick between the cheeks of Phichit's ass.

Phichit wriggles slightly, feeling the head of Chris' cock against him. "Yes – please, I need you."

With one more kiss to Phichit's lips, Chris pushes slowly forward with his hips, drawing a higher groan from Phichit as he slides inside him. When he's fully seated, they both let out held breaths, taking in the feel of each other, and Phichit wraps his legs loosely around Chris' hips.

"Move," he soon sighs, shifting his hips up slightly to urge Chris on. "Please."

Chris does so, settling first into a slow rhythm but with encouragement from Phichit getting gradually faster and harder, starting to drive into him insistently. They moan together, exchanging sloppy kisses, their skin getting sweaty in the summer heat. Once, Chris thrusts forward and Phichit cries out louder and higher, stars bursting behind his eyes, and Chris pauses, looking searchingly into his face.

"You okay?" he asks.

Phichit nods. "Oh my god, please do that again!"

Chris repeats the movement with the angle of his hips and Phichit squeaks. Getting back into the rhythm again, they move as one, bodies undulating against one another, and Chris reaches between them, wrapping his hand around Phichit's cock. Phichit gasps, clutching at Chris' shoulders, feeling the coil of arousal in him tightening.

"Ah – ah Chris!" he pants. "Please don't stop!"

"I don't plan to," Chris promises, pumping his hand a little faster. "I'm getting close."

Phichit nods, words all but lost to him, and tightens his legs around Chris. The combined feeling of Chris' hand dragging over his erection and Chris' cock hard inside him is driving him crazy; hie heart feels full of Chris and the emotions racing through him. With one final, louder cry, Phichit comes, back arching and head pushing back into the pillows, and feels Chris follow suit not long after, pulsing inside him as he fills the condom. They keep moving, riding out their orgasms together until they collapse, catching their breath and giggling like teenagers. Chris pulls out, disposing of the condom quickly before lying down next to Phichit again and kissing him slowly.

"You okay?" Chris asks when they part, touching his nose gently to Phichit's.

"Yeah," says Phichit dreamily, grinning at Chris. "You?"

"I'm great," says Chris with a tired smile. "Do you need anything?"

"Uh..." Phichit shifts a little, feeling his cum starting to dry on his skin. "Tissues would be welcomed."

"Oh right, of course." Chris rolls to the side and retrieves a box along with a packet of wet wipes. "Sorry, I should have given you them already. I just... got a little distracted."

Phichit catches his eye and they grin again conspiratorially as they start to clean up. When they feel less sticky they curl up together despite the warmth of the evening and Chris brushes Phichit's fringe from his eyes.

"So is this something you'd like to do again?" he asks.

Phichit nods. "Most definitely."

* * *

Over the next few days, Chris finds himself daydreaming frequently about Phichit, remembering his smile and the feel of his body under Chris' hands. If possible, the tender little thump his heart has every time he thinks of Phichit grows more pronounced, and he walks around with a dopey smile on his face. Had they been at school, Chris would be at the stage of writing their names together in a heart over his notebooks, and nearly everyone has noticed. At work, he gets good-natured ribbing from his colleagues, and Viktor seems pleased at his happiness when they meet up to go on a run together.

"Seems things are going well," he observes, doing cool-down stretches against a low wall.

Chugging water, Chris nods. "He's so sweet and kind," he says after swallowing. "I've never met anyone like him before."

"You're adorable," grins Viktor. "You seeing him again soon?"

"No plans just yet," admits Chris. "He's covering some shifts for one of his colleagues so we probably can't meet up until–" He pauses, hearing the trill of a message from his pocket. Retrieving his phone, he checks it to see not Phichit's but Alex's name on the screen.

 **[09.12] Alex** : hey how are you

Chris stares at the message, glancing up at the previous message he'd forgotten about, a strange sensation settling in his stomach.

"You okay?" asks Viktor.

"Uhh, yeah?" replies Chris, frowning at Viktor. "Alex just messaged me."

Viktor raises an eyebrow. "Alex as in your ex?"

Chris nods, showing Viktor his phone screen. "I don't know what to do."

Letting Viktor take the phone, Chris watches him read the message suspiciously. "Well you could leave him on read," he suggests, handing the phone back. "Seems to have worked before."

"I forgot to respond that time," points out Chris.

"Still worked."

Chris frowns afresh. "Can I really do that?"

"Of course," says Viktor. "Did you forget what a shitlord he is?"

Chris' phone pings with another message.

 **[09.13] Alex** : can we meet up

Chris raises his eyebrows.

"He wants to meet up," he tells Viktor.

"Ew, why?"

"No idea," says Chris, his words punctuated with another chime from his phone.

 **[09.13] Alex** : I want to clear the air and I have some of your stuff

Chris stretches out his hamstring. "Apparently he wants to talk," he explains. "And he has some of my stuff to return."

Viktor folds his arms. "So you're not worth the cost of postage?"

"We live in the same city," reasons Chris, starting to finally compose a response.

"You're not meeting up with him?" Viktor looks aghast.

"Why not?" Chris asks. "It's literally to get my stuff back. He still has my favourite shirt."

Viktor scoffs. "He's such a dick."

"At least he's returning my shit."

"You're too nice."

"Maybe."

 **[09.15] Chris** : Sure, when?

Viktor lifts his arms, stretching his spine. "What about Phichit?" he asks.

Chris feels a pang in his stomach, but shakes his head. "What do you mean?"

"Well are you going to tell him that you're meeting up with your ex?" asks Viktor.

Chris nods. "Yeah of course," he replies. "I'll tell him today when he gets off work."

They hear another message arrive and, seemingly placated, Viktor drops his arms by his sides.

 **[09.16] Alex** : coffee cube saturday 1pm

 **[09.16] Chris** : See you then.

* * *

Phichit's face lights up Chris' phone dead on half four and he answers right away.

"Hey," he greets, a smile coming to his face.

"Hi," says Phichit; his voice is cheerful but Chris can hear an undercurrent of tiredness in it. "How are you?"

"I'm good thanks," says Chris. "You okay?"

"Yeah," says Phichit. "Had kind of a crazy day."

"I'm sorry," says Chris, drawing up his knees and curling up on the sofa next to Galadriel. "Difficult customers or just busy?"

"All of the above," sighs Phichit. "I can't wait until Leo gets back and I can have some free time again. I miss you."

Chris' heart flip-flops tenderly. "I miss you too."

"Are you free Saturday?" asks Phichit. "I finish work at twelve so I'm free all afternoon and I could really do with something to look forward to. We could go see a film?"

As is always the case with Phichit, Chris immediately goes to say yes, but then he remembers Alex. "Shit, sorry," he says. "I've... got a family thing."

The lie sits heavily in his gut – he doesn't know why he said it, but it slipped out and now he knows he'll have to stick with it. It still makes his heart ache when Phichit sighs though.

"Okay then. If you get done early do you want to meet up after? I don't know how long family stuff takes."

"I'll message you when I get done," promises Chris. "I really want to see you."

"Okay," says Phichit, audibly brighter. "I'll look up film times in case there's one we can make."

"Sounds good," says Chris.

They settle into a normal conversation, though part of Chris still feels a poisonous gnaw at the lie he told. He's hoping that he'll be able to wrap things up with Alex quickly and get away to see Phichit.


	6. When I Said Goodbye

**Hi all, it's Pandora - hope you enjoy this chapter! Chris is continuing to be a very foolish man but hopefully you'll stick around to the end of this chapter and see what happens...!**

* * *

Chris anticipates Saturday with a mixture of foreboding and nerves, with a tiny undercurrent of sadness and anger thrown in. It's been months since they last saw one another, so why is Alex insisting on meeting now? If he didn't need his stuff back, Chris would send him a message to cancel or just stand him up to go spend the day with Phichit, but unfortunately he can't. The best he can hope for is that the encounter is brief – he'll do everything he can to keep it short – and then he can go see Phichit instead.

When he gets to The Coffee Cube, Alex is already there (sitting at the same table as when they last met – just to add insult to injury) and Chris makes his way over. Alex looks up and then stands as Chris approaches, giving him a bright smile – the same smile Chris used to adore.

"Hey," says Alex, opening his arms for a hug. After a moment's hesitation, Chris accepts it, putting one cursory arm around Alex for a second before stepping back and sitting down. Alex stands there awkwardly for a moment – Chris realises he's never seen that expression on his face before – but then sits down too. "Thanks for meeting me."

"You're welcome," says Chris.

Before either of them can say more, two drinks are placed on the table in front of them. Chris looks up, nodding to Emil before quirking an eyebrow at Alex.

"I took the liberty of ordering for you," says Alex with that familiar grin. "I still remember your favourite."

Chris clears his throat – he personally wouldn't have gone for a hot drink in the summer heat but whatever. "Uh, thanks."

"So how have you been?" Alex asks, leaning his chin on one hand and gazing at Chris. "I see you getting tagged in a lot of stuff online these days."

Half-hiding a fond smile, Chris stirs his mocha. Phichit's love for selfies hasn't let up the longer the two of them have known each other and he takes photos almost every time they hang out, usually putting those pictures online afterwards. Chris, whose previous social media activity was fairly scant, suddenly finds himself with a load more (extremely flattering) pictures online. Not only that, but the captions for all the pictures are incredibly sweet – Phichit is a great lover of cute little emojis like sparkles and happy or kissy faces – and every time Chris sees them he can't help from grinning.

"Are you seeing him?" asks Alex as Chris takes a sip of his drink.

Chris raises an eyebrow: what business is it of his? "If you mean Phichit then yes."

"Right..."

"Have you got my stuff?" asks Chris. He's not sure why but Alex seems to be stalling for something.

"Oh, yeah..." Alex reaches down under the table and brings forth a large paper shopping bag that he hands to Chris. A cursory glance reveals everything Chris expected to see inside. When he looks up to thank Alex, however, he pauses: Alex is staring at him.

"Uhh..." Chris puts the bag down in his lap. "Are you okay?"

Alex laughs, the sound short and nervous. "Yeah, yeah..." He leans forward, reaching out one hand to cover Chris' hand still on the table. "Have you ever made a really huge mistake?" he asks. "Like, _really_ huge?"

Chris frowns, too confused to move his hand away immediately. "Uh, I guess?"

"I think I made a mistake," says Alex. "I was stupid to let you go. You're amazing and we were great together."

"Alex, I–"

"I love you, Chris!"

* * *

Peering in at the window of the cinema, Phichit takes note of the showtimes before pulling out his phone to message Chris.

 **[12.57] Phichit** : Looks like there are quite a few showings for that film we saw the trailer for last week so let me know when you're free. If it sucks I'm sure we can find some way to distract ourselves. ;)

He hits send and slips his phone into his pocket. If he's being totally honest, part of him kind of wants the film to be terrible so that they have an excuse to make out in the back row – but then again, does he need an excuse? The thought brings a sly grin to his face as he meanders through town, looking in shop windows for a while before he starts to feel raindrops falling on his nose. When he goes to pull up his hood, however, his face falls as he realises he's not wearing his jacket.

 _I must have left it at work._

With a sigh, Phichit starts to dash away in the quickly worsening rain, darting between shop awnings and doorways in an effort to avoid getting wet on his way back to The Coffee Cube. It doesn't do much to help though: by the time he rounds the corner onto the side street where the café is he's feeling distinctly soggy. Pushing open the door, he figures he can linger here for a little while and see if the rain might die down, but then he sees a sight that stops his heart. At one of the cosiest tables in the corner, Chris is sitting with Alex. Their hands are clasped on the table and Phichit can see a blush in Chris' cheeks.

 _A family thing, huh?_

Phichit leaves the café, the door closing behind him, and starts the long, very wet, walk home.

* * *

Chris stares at Alex across the table, stunned into silence. Around him, he can hear the other people in the café going about their business and it reminds him of their breakup, when he was left here on his own while everyone around him seemed not to realise that his world has stopped. The scenario is almost identical, but Chris is staring at Alex instead now... and somehow that one thing he would have wanted then is exactly what is making him most uncomfortable now. He frowns at Alex.

"Are you serious?" he asks.

Alex nods, gaze never leaving Chris' face. "Completely," he says. "I didn't realise how I felt until we were apart but I know now I want to be with you more than anything else."

He squeezes Chris' hand, leaning forward earnestly as he speaks, but Chris continues to frown in confusion, too surprised to move.

"So... you wanted to get back together?" he asks. "You want me to... take you back?"

Alex half-smiles, leaning forward more. "Please – you know how good we were together."

Chris' frown turns into a look of shock. "I... can't believe this."

"It is pretty unbelievable," says Alex, squeezing Chris' hand with both his own. "Come back to me babe."

He lifts Chris' hand to his lips, kissing the knuckles briefly before Chris finally pulls his hand away, shaking his head.

"I... I can't," he says softly, the confusion on his face intensifying as Alex's words sink in properly. "I've... moved on."

"'Moved on'?" asks Alex. "Is it that serious? I figured it was a rebound."

Finally, Chris' emotions snap, his look of puzzlement replaced with a glare. "I don't think that's any of your business actually," he says, voice sharp. "Even if I hadn't moved on, why should I want you back?"

Alex blinks, clearly taken-aback, and splutters, "Well I... I just thought–"

"Just thought you could swan back in and try it on again?" asks Chris. "I spent weeks feeling sorry for myself over you – where were you then?" When Alex doesn't answer right away, Chris ploughs on: "If you really wanted to get back together so badly then you should have said something two months ago when I wasn't falling in love with someone else and wh–"

Chris cuts off his own words on a gasp, clapping one hand over his mouth and seeing the same shock he's feeling reflected in Alex's wide eyes and slack jaw.

"Y- you... love him?" asks Alex.

"I..." Chris lowers his hand slowly. "Yes, I... I think I do."

"You... think?"

"I never... I never said it before," replies Chris. "I didn't know."

"Oh."

They sit silently for several long seconds before Chris suddenly stands.

"I've got to go," he announces, clutching the bag of his belongings.

"Right now?" asks Alex, eyes wide.

Chris nods. "I need to go find Phichit." He shuffles out from between the table and chair but as he goes to turn away he pauses, gazing down at Alex. "I'm sorry," he says. "In another life maybe this could have worked out. Thank you though."

With one last half-smile, he leaves. Almost as soon as he's out the door, he gives a little laugh and realises he's left Alex with the bill. He'll call that his one tiny bit of payback and leave it there.


	7. After The Love Has Gone

**Hello friends, let's see where this rollercoaster goes today...!**

* * *

Outside, Chris ducks under the awning of a florist's shop to avoid the rain and sends a message to Phichit.

 **[13.22] Chris** : Hey babe, I'm all done, are you still in town? Really want to see you! xxx

After some debate about whether to add some heart emojis or not, Chris just sends the message; he's got no time to lose. He's about to walk away, but then stops and steps inside the florist instead. Ten minutes later, he steps out with a huge bunch of red and blue flowers and checks his phone: no response from Phichit. Chris frowns – he's never known Phichit not to immediately respond to any messages he gets unless he's working. Given that he said he was finishing his shift at midday and now it's – he checks his watch – gone half past one, he's probably not there anymore... plus Chris just came from The Coffee Cube and saw nothing of Phichit there. He shifts the flowers so they're in the crook of his elbow, his bag of stuff dangling off his other arm as he composes a new message.

 **[13.35] Chris** : Hi sweetpea, are you okay? Haven't heard from you in a while. Call me when you can? xxx

He sends it, his nerves knotting into a tight ache behind his diaphragm. Is Phichit alright? Chris can't – rather doesn't want to – imagine anything bad happening to Phichit, but faced with the silence he's struggling to figure out what could be going on. Did he lose his phone somehow? Is he in trouble in some way? Has he collapsed? Chris shakes his head – he knows he shouldn't jump to conclusions, especially ridiculous ones like this, but it really is out of character for Phichit.

Dashing between small patches of shelter, Chris makes his way to the cinema – maybe Phichit decided to wait for him there so they could go see the film? But when he gets there the only people Chris finds are a load of teenagers – he notices Yuri and Otabek buying popcorn from one of the counters but no one else he recognises. Finally he pulls out his phone again and – seeing no replies from Phichit – presses the green phone icon by his face. It rings... and rings... and rings. Just as Chris is about to give up, he hears a click on the line.

"Heeey!" Phichit's voice comes.

"Phichit – I'm so glad I–"

"I can't answer the phone right now," Phichit continues – Chris realises this is the first time he's ever heard Phichit's voicemail, "but if you leave a message I'll get back to you soon! Bye!"

The voicemail comes in to tell Chris how to leave his message after the beep and to hang up when he's done and Chris starts to wonder what he's missing. Is Phichit deliberately avoiding his attempts at contact? Why would he? What has Chris done? He had a message literally just as he got to the café so what changed in that time?

The beep sounds. Unprepared for it, Chris scrambles for the words to say.

"Uh... hi, hey Phichit. I er... I'm in town. I messaged you but you didn't reply so I... I wanted to make sure you're okay and..." He pauses, the L-word lingering on the tip of his tongue before he sighs. "I'll see you later – I hope?"

He hangs up, the ball firmly in Phichit's court, and leaves the cinema to make his way home.

* * *

Sitting on his bed with a towel on his sodden hair, Phichit stares at his phone as it lights up with messages and missed calls – all from Chris. He wants desperately to pick up the phone and respond, but the idea also makes him feel sick. As his phone screen darkens again after the most recent attempt at contact, Phichit curls up, knees under his chin, feeling his lips wobbling with the effort not to cry, and marvels at how broken he feels.

He's sure he can't have misinterpreted what he saw: they were holding hands and staring at each other intensely, like they were the only two people in the entire world. That kind of look can't mean anything else, surely?

The screen of Phichit's phone lights up again with another message from Chris and he finally lets the tears start to roll down his cheeks. His eyes sting and he squeezes them shut, his shoulders beginning to shake with sobs. He had really thought things were going well with Chris but now it seems to have come to nothing. If Chris wants to go back to Alex because it would genuinely make him happy, Phichit would like to be happy for him, but he can't get over how wretched he feels for himself. He invested himself in Chris wholly, no holds barred, and Chris seemed to like him too, but now he can't be sure of anything. Was Chris ever really interested in him or was he just a distraction, something to keep Chris busy until Alex came back? Phichit isn't sure which of those scenarios would be worse.

As the crying overwhelms him, Phichit rolls into one side on his bed and wraps his arms around himself. Either way, Phichit's heart feels like it's in tatters.

* * *

A few days go by and Chris has no more luck getting through to Phichit, though he knows Phichit is okay as he's been occasionally liking things online. He has no clue what else he can try short of going to Phichit's house – and he did consider it for a short time but then told himself that it was creepy and would only put Phichit off more if he were to suddenly turn up at his house. So with no ideas left, Chris has been calling once a day and messaging several times a day – and that's him restraining himself. If Phichit doesn't want to respond he won't, but Chris can't stop and let Phichit think he's given up on him. Chris spends his time at work in mournful silence and his time at home staring at the bouquet on his coffee table until eventually he picks up his phone once again.

"Hello?" Yuuri sounds like he's a little out of breath as he answers.

"Hey Yuuri," Chris says. "Are you busy?"

"No, not right now," replies Yuuri. "What's up?"

"Have you spoken to Phichit recently?" Chris asks.

"Uh, no not really," says Yuuri. "Not since the weekend – I figured he was working."

"So he hasn't told you why he might be avoiding me?"

"Avoiding you? Why would he do that? He's crazy about you."

Chris feels his heart melt a little despite himself but tries to get back on track. "I haven't heard from him since Saturday."

"Is he okay?"

"Well he's seeing my messages, just not responding."

Before Yuuri can respond, Chris hears Viktor in the background: "Is that Chris? Ask how it went with Alex."

"Alex? Wait, did you see Alex?" Yuuri asks.

"Yeah I wanted to get my stuff back," says Chris. "Then he told me he loves me and wants me back."

"He did _what_?!" Yuuri squeaks.

"What?" Viktor's voice comes closer. "What did he do?"

"Alex told Chris he loves him," says Yuuri, "and wants him back."

"That absolute _rat_!" Viktor sounds indignant.

"What did you do?" asks Yuuri.

"I left," says Chris. "I said if he wanted to have that conversation then he should have done it months ago, before..." Chris feels his lips slow on the next part of the sentence.

"Before what?"

Chris steels himself. "Before I moved on and fell in love with someone else."

Yuuri squeaks down the phone and Chris hears a short commotion before Viktor's voice comes on the line properly. "What's going on? Yuuri just handed me his phone."

"I told Alex I was in love with someone else and left."

"Yes!" There's a fist pump in Viktor's tone.

"But now I can't get in touch with Phichit," adds Chris.

"Oh..." Viktor says, sounding thoughtful. "Do you think he saw you?"

Chris feels a heavy chill drop into his stomach. "What?"

"With Alex," clarifies Viktor – a sudden wave of understanding washes over Chris.

"Fuck," he murmurs in realisation, his free hand coming up to run through his hair. "That would make sense."

"You didn't tell him you were meeting Alex." It's not even a question – it doesn't need to be one.

"No, I..." Chris sighs. "I said I was busy with a family thing."

"You're an idiot," admonishes Viktor.

"I know," says Chris. "What am I supposed to do now? Phichit won't even speak to me."

The line goes silent for a moment before Viktor says, "I've got an idea."

"Will I like this idea?" asks Chris.

"Potentially not," says Viktor. "It involves being a grown up."

"Great."

* * *

Phichit is lying despondently on the sofa, flicking listlessly through Netflix with Puddle eating a chunk of carrot on his tummy, when he gets a call. At first he assumes it's Chris again but when he looks at his screen he sees Yuuri's shy grin instead. Part of him considers letting it ring off – he doesn't really want to talk to _anyone_ right now – but he can't say no to that face. Swiping the green icon across the screen, he holds the phone to his ear.

"Hey," he says, the greeting familiar but his voice strange and rough.

"Hi," says Yuuri, voice edged with worry. "You okay? I haven't heard from you in a while."

"Sorry," sighs Phichit; his throat aches as tears threaten again.

"You okay?" asks Yuuri again.

Phichit is about to brush off the question by deflecting, saying he's fine and asking after Yuuri and Viktor but something – most likely the warm, sweet concern in Yuuri's voice – stops him and instead he fights back tears as he whimpers, "No."

"Oh Phichit," Yuuri says softly. "Tell me all about it."

"I... I was in town... on Saturday..." says Phichit haltingly between heaved breaths. "And I was... going to see C-Chris... but then I saw him... with Alex and I... They were holding hands."

"Oh..." Yuuri sounds sympathetic as he sighs in understanding. "What did you do?"

"I left," says Phichit. "I went home... in the rain and... cried a lot."

"I'm sorry to hear that," says Yuuri.

"I don't... I don't know what to do," stutters Phichit. "I – I haven't been talk... talking to him but... I m-miss him... and he's been messaging a lot."

"Why not talk to him?" suggests Yuuri.

Phichit frowns, his surprise eclipsing his sadness suddenly. "I... What?"

"Well what if there's some other explanation?" asks Yuuri.

Phichit mulls this over. "It... It looked too cosy. I... think Chris wants to get back together with him."

Yuuri is oddly quiet for a long moment before saying, "Phichit I think you should talk to Chris yourself. All you're doing now is being unsure of what's going on and while you're unsure you won't be able to move on emotionally."

Phichit nods to himself, watching Puddle demolishing the carrot, little nose twitching. "You're probably right," he sighs. "I'll message him."

"Yay!"

"Huh?"

"You sound weirdly happy."

"Do I?" Yuuri asks. "I'm just glad you're getting things sorted. See you later, bye!"

He hangs up, leaving Phichit staring at his phone in confusion. What on earth was all that about?


	8. The Way You Make Me Feel

**Hi, Pandora here with the last chapter of this fic! We're really pleased at the response to this fic and really hope you enjoy this final chapter! :D**

* * *

Saturday rolls around muggy, grey and dreary and Chris feels like his stomach is roiling like the clouds outside. He's not used to being nervous but he genuinely isn't sure how this is going to go and the stakes are higher than he's used to. Add to all that the fact that everything about Phichit is utterly disarming and Chris is practically a wreck. He's dressed for confidence – wearing his favourite shirt (now that he has it back) and lucky socks because if superstition is going to pay off on any day Chris needs it to be today – and he has a (fresh) bouquet clutched in his hands.

When he finally got a message from Phichit (not long after he spoke to Yuuri and Viktor but he doesn't want to read into that too much and get his hopes up) he was over the moon, as brief as the message and ensuing conversation was, and the wait to today seemed interminable. Now that it's finally here he's determined that he's going to fix things.

The park bench he's sitting on is under the shade of a lovely rhododendron bush, the flowers coming to the end of their season but still surrounding the area in a soft pink. Chris is just grateful that it's not raining as he opens the top button of his shirt against the late summer heat.

Phichit comes into his line of sight from around the corner of the ice cream kiosk, face a little flushed and gait slow, and Chris stands up to greet him. It feels like an age before they stand before one another but eventually they do, Chris still holding the flowers and Phichit not entirely meeting his gaze.

"Hey," says Chris, knowing how awkward he sounds but unable to let the silence drag on any longer.

"Hi," Phichit says softly, finally looking at him properly.

"Uh, I got these for you." Chris offers the flowers in his arms: purple and white because the colours reminded him of the blankets slung over the back of Phichit's sofa.

"Oh, thanks..." Phichit takes them, his expression halfway between a smile and a question until the question seems to win out. "Should... should we sit down?"

Chris nods and they do so. Phichit's fingers gently caress the edges of the flower petals, a little frown creasing his forehead that Chris desperately wants to kiss away but he stops himself – he can't risk scaring Phichit away now.

"Thanks for–"

"Can I–"

They both stop, their overlapping sentences dying away as they look at each other awkwardly. Chris clears his throat.

"Sorry," he says. "Thanks for meeting with me. I... You go."

Phichit half-nods; when he talks it's more to the flowers than to Chris. "Can I... I need to say something and I think I need to say it kind of fast if that makes sense."

Phichit looks into his eyes and Chris nods, not wanting to interrupt any more.

"So..." Phichit's fingers tremble very slightly and Chris watches him grip the bouquet stems a little tighter. "I'm sorry I went AWOL but I..." He takes a deep breath. "I saw you with Alex at the shop last weekend and I get it if you want to... to go back to him because I know how cut up you were about it but..." He lifts one hand to wipe it across his face, tears spreading on his cheekbones. "But I... I feel so much for you and I've never felt this way before about anyone and I needed to tell you even though I don't know what to call it because I think I _do_ know but it's huge and–"

Chris can't help himself anymore; he reaches out and cups the back of Phichit's neck to pull him into a kiss. The paper around the flowers crinkles between them as Chris pulls away again, looking into Phichit's confused face.

"I'm sorry," says Chris, sinking back onto the bench properly. "I shouldn't have done that."

Phichit clears his throat, shifting the flowers in his lap as more tears escape his eyes. "I... No, I... I don't understand," he says. "What... What are you..."

"I love you."

Phichit freezes, mouth dropping open as he stares at Chris. "What?"

"I love you," Chris repeats, leaning towards Phichit slightly. "I didn't realise it until I met up with Alex to get my stuff. I'm crazy about you and I can't imagine my life without you."

Phichit blinks, eyes swimming. "So... you only went to get your stuff back?"

Chris nods. "He said he wanted to clear the air... then he told me he loved me."

"He did?"

"Yes," says Chris. "But I told him I was falling in love with someone else."

Phichit clutches the flowers to his chest, catching his breath on a soft half-sob. His eyes are wide and shining as he asks, "R-really?"

"Yes," nods Chris, fighting tears of his own. "I never intended to get back together with him. I'm really sorry for all the crap this caused."

Phichit shakes his head. "Why did you say you had a family thing though?"

Chris grimaces. "Sorry," he says again. "I meant to tell you but then you called and you'd had a bad day and I just... I panicked. It was stupid."

"Very," agrees Phichit.

"So..." Chris starts, wiping his eyes with his fingers. "Can I make it up to you?"

Phichit doesn't respond, instead dropping the flowers as he throws his arms around Chris' neck and kisses him full on the mouth. Kissing Phichit back, Chris wraps his arms around his waist, pulling him close as they melt into the kiss.

"I love you too," Phichit whispers as they part.

* * *

When they get back to Phichit's after a long chat over coffee, they can barely take their hands off each other. Once he's got the door open and they're inside, Phichit pushes Chris up against it, leaning up on his tip toes to kiss him hard, and Chris suppresses a gasp and a grin. There's an urgency to their movements, like they have something to prove to one another – and in Chris' mind he knows he wants to show Phichit just how much he means to him.

Phichit pulls back, looking up at Chris with dark eyes. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," sighs Chris, fingers twisting into the fabric of Phichit's t-shirt at his waist. "So much. I'm never letting you go again."

Phichit kisses him again, tongue licking along Chris' lower lip before sliding into his mouth and drawing a low moan from Chris. He can't get enough of Phichit.

"Shall we... go... to my room?" asks Phichit between kisses.

"Please," says Chris; his voice is unsteady and his jeans are already beginning to feel a little tighter than usual.

Phichit steps back, the two of them kicking off their shoes hurriedly, before dragging Chris by his belt loops through the flat, stealing kisses as they go. The flowers end up on the sofa and Chris takes the opportunity to lift Phichit in his arms. Phichit wraps his legs around Chris' waist, clinging to him and starting to litter Chris' neck with more kisses as they head to Phichit's bedroom. When he sinks onto the bed, Chris has to swallow a groan at the mixture of Phichit starting to nibble on his earlobe and Phichit's weight settling in his lap. Showing no mercy, Phichit shifts his hips and Chris can't keep in a moan this time.

"You're amazing," he says softly, fingers at the hem of Phichit's t-shirt. "May I?"

"Please," says Phichit, moving back and letting Chris take it off him. His hands go to Chris' buttons, opening them until he can push it off Chris' shoulders before pushing him onto his back and kissing him breathless. Chris runs his hands up Phichit's sides, feeling the scar on his ribs and panting breaths. Part of him is relieved to feel how affected Phichit is too and he lifts his hips, getting a delicious moan into his mouth at the friction between them.

"Chris," Phichit rasps when Chris does it again. "I need you."

Chris lets his hands go down to Phichit's waistband and pops open the button before pulling down the zip. Getting up off the bed, Phichit shimmies out of his shorts and underwear, Chris following suit with his jeans and socks. As Phichit returns to the bed he grabs a condom and lube from the bedside table, leaving them beside Chris on the bed and straddling him once more. Chris reaches for the lube but Phichit picks it up instead, popping the cap.

"I'll do it," he says, grinning devilishly. "Just sit back and enjoy."

Chris smiles. "As you wish," he says softly as Phichit starts to coat his fingers.

Phichit braces himself on Chris' stomach with one hand as he reaches back with the other, slipping the first finger inside himself on a soft groan. Lube drips from Phichit's fingers onto Chris' balls and Chris reaches down to stroke his own cock once, the light friction offering some relief, before he closes his hand around Phichit's dick. Phichit whines, adding another finger as his hips stutter irresistibly forwards. Soon, Phichit has three fingers inside himself and his flush of arousal has spread down his chest as he gazes at Chris through glazed eyes.

" _Chris_ ," he moans as he angles his fingers differently and freezes for a second. "I'm... I'm ready."

Chris lets go of Phichit's cock and grabs the condom, wasting no time in putting it on along with more lube as Phichit withdraws his fingers. Guiding Chris' cock against himself, Phichit sinks down, lowering himself until he's sitting on Chris' thighs. Chris' fingers press at Phichit's hips, the incredible warm feeling of Phichit around his cock making his toes curl.

"Fuck, Chris," whimpers Phichit, arching his back and squeezing around him. "I love you."

"I love you too," sighs Chris as Phichit starts to slowly roll his hips.

His heart feels full to bursting with Phichit, full of all the beautiful expressions he makes, the glint in his eyes when he's excited or the way he hums to himself when he's concentrating. Phichit lifts his hips, dropping down again to coax louder sounds from them both, and Chris' nails dig into Phichit's thighs. They build to a slow rhythm, hearts racing and hands clutching for one another. Phichit leans down, capturing Chris' lips in another kiss, and Chris takes the opportunity to thrust up into him.

"Ah!" Phichit startles, pulling back to grin at Chris. He squeezes the muscles in his backside again, making Chris groan and follow him as he sits back up.

"You're gorgeous," Chris says, cupping Phichit's chin and kissing him again. Phichit smiles into the kiss, mouth slackening when Chris shifts under him and his cock moves inside him.

"Fuck," sighs Phichit, starting to move again in earnest, bouncing in Chris' lap. Chris grasps his hands under Phichit's ass, massaging the firm flesh and enjoying the squeak he gets in return.

They move in sync on the bed, stealing kisses but mostly panting together as they approach their ends. When Phichit starts to writhe around in his lap, Chris moves one hand from Phichit's backside to his erection, closing his fist around it and starting to pump in time with Phichit's movements. Phichit whines, muscles fluttering around Chris' cock as the tip of it drives against his prostate on every downward thrust.

"Oh my god," he gasps, head falling back; Chris leaves kisses up and down his exposed throat, tasting sweat on his lips. "Chris – Chris don't stop!"

"I won't," says Chris, breath spreading on Phichit's skin. "You getting close, beautiful?"

"Yeah," murmurs Phichit. "Yeah, you?"

"Yeah," concurs Chris.

"I love you," gasps Phichit just as Chris feels his dick jerk in his fist in orgasm. White spills over Chris' hand and spatters their stomachs while Phichit shakes, lips open on a loud cry.

The tight friction around Chris' cock tightens further and he soon follows, filling the condom as they both keep moving to ride out the pleasure together. When they come to a stop, Chris pulls Phichit in for one more kiss.

"I love you too," he says, voice soft and tender like a barely-opened flower, and Phichit's fingers draw slow shapes over his shoulders. "Thank you for giving me a second chance."

"I missed you too much," says Phichit, shifting onto his knees and letting Chris pull out. They let out a quiet sound in tandem before Phichit adds, "I'm so glad Yuuri got me to call you."

"So am I," says Chris. He takes off and disposes of the condom while Phichit cleans up, accepting tissues for his hands and skin. Soon after, they sink onto the bed again, trading giddy smiles and kisses. Chris never wants to let Phichit go again.

* * *

Summer soon fades into autumn, the foliage turning from green to gold as the air grows colder before eventually falling to the ground when winter sets in. Scarves and coats come out of hibernation and Phichit adds gingerbread-flavoured everything to the specials board at work while standing on a short stepladder.

"Is gingerbread the new pumpkin spice?" asks Yuri, leaning against the counter and watching Phichit as he writes.

"Guess so," says Phichit, checking the paper in his hand for the last one he needs to write.

"Good," says Yuri. "I hate pumpkin."

Phichit chuckles. "Yes, you made that very clear in September."

"Well it's true," says Yuri. "It's gross."

Behind them, the bell on the café door jingles as someone pushes it open and Phichit hears Yuri turn to see who it is.

"We're clo– oh," he says. The happy little thrill in Phichit's stomach intensifies at the change in tone, even before Yuri adds, "Phichit, your boyfriend is here."

The word 'boyfriend' still sends another happy pang through Phichit and he looks over his shoulder to see Chris at the door.

"Just give me a minute to get this done and then I'll get my coat," he grins.

"Sure thing," says Chris as Phichit turns back to the specials board. "What's with the formality Yura? Are you forgetting that I remember Viktor telling me when you were born? I'm practically part of your extended family."

Yuri scoffs. "Whatever."

"You can go if you want Yuri," says Phichit. "I'm locking up tonight anyway."

"Cool, thanks," says Yuri. Phichit hears him going over to the coat pegs and swapping his apron for his coat before going to the door. "See you later."

"Bye," Phichit and Chris say in unison. The bell jingles again and the door closes; Phichit listens to Chris walking around the counter to stand next to the stepladder.

"Alone at last."

"And I..." says Phichit, finishing up with the board, "am now done for the day."

He turns to look at Chris with a wide smile which Chris returns as he steps closer. Chris' arms wrap around Phichit's hips, lifting him off the stepladder.

"So I can steal you away now?" he asks, spinning with Phichit in his arms and getting giggles in return.

"I'm all yours," says Phichit, lowering his head to kiss Chris on the lips. "Let's go."


End file.
